Four Days to Nightfall
by Nan Smith
Summary: With the Nightfall Asteroid threatening Earth, Lois Lane has another problem as well: Who is this naked man that she found in Centennial Park, where does he come from and what is his connection with Nightfall? An Elseworld Lois and Clark story.
1. Default Chapter

Four Days to Nightfall  
By Nan Smith   
Rated: PG  
Submitted: July 2002  
  
  
Disclaimer: The familiar characters and settings in this   
story are not mine. They are the property of DC Comics,   
Warner Bros., December 3rd Productions and whoever else can   
legally claim them. The story is originally based on the   
Lois and Clark episode "All Shook Up" and any recognizable   
parts (of All Shook Up or any other episodes of the series)   
are credited to the writers of the show. Any new   
characters, scenes and the story itself are mine.  
  
  
  
"The Nightfall Asteroid is on a direct course for Earth.   
This piece of space rock is seventeen miles across,   
traveling at close to thirty thousand miles per hour. If   
nothing stops it, it will hit the Earth in a little more   
than four days." Professor Daitch, Chief Scientist at the   
EPRAD command and control center based in Metropolis,   
paused at the end of his announcement and added, almost   
under his breath, "The sky, literally, is falling."  
  
"What kind of damage could this asteroid do?" The inquiry   
came from Phil Morrison of the Star.  
  
Daitch took a deep breath. "It could knock the Earth off   
its axis, even throw us out of our current solar orbit.   
It's far larger than the meteor that caused the extinction   
of the dinosaurs. The crater alone will throw enough dust   
into the air to start a new ice age."  
  
Professor Daitch stepped back from the microphone and the   
general who had introduced him took his place. Lois Lane,   
like the other reporters at the press conference, had been   
momentarily stunned by the announcement. It was hard to   
absorb the meaning of the astronomer's words -- that the   
entire world could die in four days. The whole concept was   
unreal to her. Science had never been her strongest   
subject and the idea that a piece of rock traveling from   
the depths of space could cause the end of civilization, as   
she had always known it, was almost unbelievable.  
  
Frank Madison, from LNN, appeared to recover first. "Is   
the government doing anything about it? What's being done   
to protect the Earth from this thing?"  
  
"Of course, the government isn't standing idly by," General   
Zeitlin replied, sounding slightly outraged at the mere   
idea. "There is no need for panic. We are confident we   
can handle this challenge with existing resources. We have   
several delivery systems, notably the Asgard booster, which   
we are in the process of re-programming. At the same time,   
we're currently attaching nuclear payloads, which, if we   
can deliver them, will eradicate this threat from our   
skies."  
  
The press conference concluded a few moments later. Lois   
charged out ahead of the other reporters and headed   
straight for the phones, snatching up the receiver of the   
nearest from under the reaching hand of Linda Watkins. The   
reporter from the Register gave her a dirty look, which   
Lois ignored. The biggest story of the century was   
breaking, and it might be the last one she would ever   
write. She was darned well going to be the one to write it   
-- first.  
  
**********   
  
"Clark, come and see this!"  
  
Clark Kent, the Acting Editor of the Smallville Press,   
turned at the shout from Jennifer Douglas, one of the   
little paper's two full-time reporters. The small   
television was on in the main newsroom -- a cramped space   
about fifteen by fifteen, crowded with several desks, a   
copy machine, the coffeepot and various paraphernalia   
associated with the publication of the little weekly   
newspaper.  
  
He set down the proof he was scanning and stuck his head in   
the door. "What's going on?"  
  
"Big press conference at EPRAD! There's an asteroid headed   
for Earth that might hit us in four days! They're going to   
try to destroy it with a nuclear missile."  
  
"What?" Clark was suddenly all attention. The EPRAD   
scientist was speaking again, and he listened to the   
questions of Metropolis's press, a cold knot gripping his   
gut. Jennifer glanced at him and back at the screen,   
biting her lip.  
  
The conference concluded and the scene shifted to the LNN   
newsroom, which seemed more chaotic than usual. The   
strained face of a news commentator appeared on the screen   
looking flustered, rehashing the information Clark had just   
heard at the press conference, but he was no longer   
listening. This was the scenario that science fiction   
writers had envisioned over and over in various disaster   
novels and movies but it was a different story when it   
might come true.  
  
He turned at the sound of the outer door opening. Marian   
Rogers, the other full-time reporter for the little paper,   
entered. Clark brought himself forcibly back to the day's   
business. "Marian, get on the phone to Kansas City. I   
want all the information that EPRAD is releasing to the   
papers. We still have time to get this stuff on the   
asteroid into this week's edition."  
  
"Asteroid?" she inquired, looking blank.  
  
"Just call them. We have a paper to get out." Clark   
glanced out the window at the overcast evening sky. He   
didn't want to say it or even think it, but underneath he   
was aware that this might be the last edition of the   
Smallville Press that was ever printed.  
  
Unless the Asgard rocket did the job the Air Force general   
had promised it would.  
  
The thought wasn't comforting. The Asgard rocket wasn't   
designed for something like this. Last year he'd read an   
article about the possibility of Earth being struck by an   
asteroid large enough to do serious damage to the planet.   
The author hadn't been particularly worried. His article   
had pointed out that it was possible, that such strikes did   
happen every now and then, but the chances of it happening   
in this lifetime were infinitesimally small. Only, the   
chances were one hundred percent if you happened to be   
directly in the path of a piece of space debris, as it   
appeared they now were.  
  
Clark bit his lip. After college, he'd traveled the world   
for several years before returning to Smallville for the   
past year. He had been preparing to make his most   
important career advance in the next few weeks -- a move to   
Metropolis and applications to the big papers that based   
themselves there -- most notably, the Daily Planet. He   
hoped that between his resume and the experience he'd   
gained while touring the world, it would be enough to land   
him a foothold on the great newspaper. It would be the   
realization of a dream.  
  
That might all be changed, now. He frowned, thinking about   
that. He'd learned a lot about different cultures and   
different countries during his travels but the one thing   
that stuck out was the fact that people were more alike   
than they were different. How they reacted to an emergency   
would be strikingly similar all around the world. Some   
would face the approaching disaster with courage, some   
would panic and some would strive to take advantage of the   
situation. And some would take steps to save themselves,   
even at the expense of others. Especially, those who knew   
or guessed the true extent of the coming destruction and   
had the resources to do so.  
  
And that was something he needed to find out. What did the   
people in power really know or think about what was about   
to happen? Did they really have any faith in the Asgard   
rocket being able to destroy the monster asteroid before it   
hit the Earth -- and if the missile did destroy it, what   
kind of destruction would the shattered pieces wreak on the   
nearly defenseless planet?  
  
First he had to finish getting the paper out and then he   
had a trip to make. Washington DC was the place to   
discover what the American government was doing to try to   
save the day.  
  
The frightening thing was the probability that they   
couldn't -- that all they could do was to minimize the   
damage and try to make sure that the government survived,   
so that they could pick up the pieces later and keep the   
country alive -- no matter how many individual lives were   
lost in the meantime.  
  
Well, the first thing he needed do was to find out what the   
real situation was. He threw himself into his work,   
determined to finish ahead of schedule. Clark Kent and his   
incredible abilities might be the only thing standing   
between the Earth and its destruction. If he were, there   
was probably only one thing he could do. The thought   
scared him.  
  
**********  
  
"...So, they're readying the Asgard booster," Clark said.   
He was pacing back and forth in the kitchen of the   
farmhouse where he had grown up. His mother and father sat   
at the table watching him pace. "There's only one problem   
with that. They have to wait until the thing gets close   
and they're only going to have one shot."  
  
"What do you mean?" Jonathan Kent leaned forward, setting   
his empty coffee cup down with a thud on the table. "Why   
can't they shoot it now?"  
  
"The Nightfall Asteroid is traveling at nearly thirty   
thousand miles per hour," Clark said, "and it's going to   
hit the Earth in about four days. That means that right   
now, it's nearly twelve times farther away than the Moon is   
from the Earth. The rocket hasn't got the fuel to take it   
that far. Even the moon shots couldn't boost the whole   
way. They're going to have to wait until the thing is   
almost on top of us before they fire. And it's armed with   
a nuclear warhead."  
  
"Nuclear fallout," Martha Kent said.  
  
"Probably," Clark said. "That's bad enough, but that's not   
even the worst eventuality. If we get fallout, it'll be   
pretty widely scattered. It probably wouldn't be enough to   
do much lasting damage. But when the rocket hits the   
asteroid, it's going to be close to Earth. Some of the   
debris is bound to hit us and this thing is seventeen miles   
across. The pieces are going to be big. It's the damage   
that they'll do that I'm worried about."  
  
"And what if the rocket misses?" His mother's voice was   
very low.  
  
"Even if it doesn't, the Earth is facing a disaster," Clark   
said.  
  
"Clark, you're not thinking what I think you're thinking,"   
his father said. "I'm sure the government has it under   
control."  
  
Clark shook his head. "They don't want panic," he said.   
"They're planning for a disaster of major proportions. I   
know. I heard them talking. They're already sending   
important people to the shelters prepared for them in   
Washington. They *know* it's going to be bad."  
  
"You heard them talking?" Martha Kent's hands were clasped   
together. "How?"  
  
Clark glanced out the window at the nighttime landscape.   
The sky was half-covered by clouds, and here and there were   
clear patches where the stars shone through. The gibbous   
moon shed white light on the fields, but tonight the   
moonlight was cold and unfriendly. "I flew to Washington   
and eavesdropped. I had to know what was really happening   
rather than what they saw fit to tell us. I've been   
thinking about it ever since. I can't just let it happen.   
If there's any chance at all that I can stop it, I have to   
try."  
  
The little group of three people around the kitchen table   
was silent for several moments. Jonathan Kent reached out   
to take his wife's hand. Clark saw the gesture and   
swallowed. They knew what he intended -- had intended   
since he had discovered the true situation.  
  
"I don't want to do it anymore than you want me to," he   
said at last. "But I have these strange powers for a   
reason. Maybe this is it."  
  
"Clark -- " Martha began and then stopped.  
  
"Mom, I have to."  
  
"I know." Her face looked pinched and tight in the warm   
kitchen light. "But I don't have to like it."  
  
"Clark, how are *you* going to get that far and back?" his   
father asked. "I know you can hold your breath a long   
time, but that long?"  
  
"I can hold my breath for twenty minutes, " Clark said.   
"It won't be a problem getting there."  
  
"But it might be a problem getting back." Martha Kent's   
face had taken on a determined look. "I know you have to   
do this, Clark, but there's no rule that says you can't do   
everything possible to ensure that you'll survive."  
  
Clark surreptitiously let out his breath. He'd been pretty   
certain that they would support his decision, but it was a   
relief to have his belief vindicated. "I guess you have   
some ideas on the subject?"  
  
"Air," Martha Kent said. "You're going to need extra air   
and I know where to get it."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"My scuba gear has exactly what you need. All we need to   
do is fill the tanks."  
  
He should have thought of it, himself. His mom was always   
open to new ideas and experiences. Two summers ago she'd   
taken scuba lessons in town, and in spite of the skeptical   
instructor, had graduated second in the class. She now   
knew the bottom of the lake south of town almost as well as   
he did. "That's a good idea."  
  
"Of course it is. Let's get moving."  
  
**********  
  
"Around the world, panic-stricken crowds are rioting,"   
Edgar Martin, the LNN newscaster was saying. "Churches,   
mosques, temples and synagogues are filled with people   
praying for a miracle. There is turmoil in all major   
cities. In downtown Gotham City, a violent mob smashed   
windows, overturned cars and looted stores...."  
  
"I coulda told you that was going to happen," Perry White   
said. Lois Lane turned from the scene on the newsroom   
monitors to see her boss standing behind her, watching the   
reports of worldwide panic. "Hell, people even do this   
when their soccer team loses a game."  
  
"I know." Lois glanced out the window of the Planet. "The   
Governor called out the National Guard an hour ago."  
  
It was the evening of the day after the press conference at   
EPRAD and conditions around the world were rapidly   
deteriorating. At this rate, they wouldn't have to wait   
for the Nightfall Asteroid to destroy the Earth. The   
panicky mobs were going to do it first. Why couldn't   
people keep calm in a situation like this? she wondered,   
irritably. Going into a blind panic was more likely to get   
you killed than the actual strike by the asteroid.  
  
Martin turned suddenly away from the camera and from   
somewhere off screen, Lois could hear excited voices. The   
man remained turned so all she could see was the back of   
his head and the picture jiggled and seemed to tilt for a   
minute. Perry regarded the scene with raised eyebrows.   
"Must be something new," he commented.  
  
The picture straightened and the commentator turned back to   
face the camera. "This has just come in over the wire," he   
announced, his voice shaking. "Observers at EPRAD report   
that the Nightfall Asteroid has apparently exploded.   
Repeat: the Nightfall Asteroid has been shattered. So   
far, astronomers have no explanation for this event...."  
  
For the space of several heartbeats, there was a dead   
silence in the newsroom and then someone -- she thought it   
was Jimmy -- raised a cheer.  
  
Perry White moved forward to hear the remainder of the   
newscaster's report over the sudden racket and Lois could   
see his face. He was frowning, apparently not entirely   
relieved at the news of their sudden and unexpected   
deliverance from danger.  
  
"What's the matter?" she asked.  
  
"Maybe nothing," he said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"What made it shatter?" he asked. "The Asgard Rocket   
hasn't been launched yet. A big chunk of rock like that   
doesn't just blow up for no reason."  
  
"Maybe it ran into something -- another asteroid?" Lois   
suggested, doubtfully.  
  
"Maybe, but why didn't anybody spot it? And even if it   
did, it's not necessarily such a good thing."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Lois, that was one huge chunk of mineral. What could make   
it just blow up like that? Whatever it was, it's still out   
there -- and so are the pieces of Nightfall."  
  
Why did reality have to intrude itself so unpleasantly on   
her relief? "You don't think any of them are going to hit   
us, do you?"  
  
Perry didn't answer. Finally, he said, "I don't like to   
look a gift horse in the mouth, but I have the sneaky   
feeling that it can't be this easy. Jimmy! Get on the   
phone to EPRAD. I want to know if they have any idea what   
happened." He turned back to Lois, who was gathering up   
her things preparatory to leaving. "You be careful going   
home, do you hear me, Lois? People are acting crazy out   
there."  
  
"I will," she reassured him. At his skeptical expression,   
she felt obliged to protest. "Perry, I can be careful when   
I want to!"  
  
"Well, you be sure you want to this time!" her boss   
grunted. "I don't want to lose my best investigative   
reporter. There are riots going on everywhere. I've been   
hearing sirens all evening."  
  
**********  
  
The city was eerily quiet when Lois pulled out onto the   
street ten minutes later. The sun had set and the moon had   
not yet risen. The sky was thickly overcast and the mist   
off the bay drifted through the air, blurring the glare of   
the city lights. The windshield of the Jeep Cherokee was   
coated with a thin layer of moisture, too light for her to   
run the windshield wipers constantly but thick enough to   
distort her vision.  
  
The news that the Nightfall Asteroid had been shattered   
might have started to percolate through the population of   
the city. She didn't see any rioters, although that might   
not mean anything. It was as if the whole city were   
holding its breath, not yet convinced that it was safe.  
  
And, in truth, she wasn't at all sure that they were safe.   
The spokesman for EPRAD had given no definitive answer to   
the Planet's phone calls. He had merely stated that the   
asteroid appeared to have shattered due to some unknown   
cause, perhaps a collision with another body, although they   
had not been able to locate any such object. Questions   
regarding the safety of the Earth had been met with evasion   
and the information that there would be a press conference   
at ten, tomorrow morning, regarding the status of the   
emergency, after the astronomers had had the time to   
evaluate the new situation. Altogether, it was a very   
unsatisfactory answer and left her almost as worried as   
before.  
  
The route back to her apartment took her past Centennial   
Park. A light mist was beginning to sift downward from the   
overcast sky. The streetlights seemed dimmer than usual,   
and there was no sign of anyone merely walking along the   
sidewalk or lovers strolling along hand in hand. In fact,   
there was no sign of human activity at all and she jumped   
and nearly screamed when a large, white something swooped   
suddenly out of the dark and flapped its way across in   
front of her, barely eight feet away.  
  
It was an owl. She gulped in air and tried to quiet the   
pounding of her heart.  
  
At that instant, a flash of light at the edge of her vision   
caught her eyes and she looked up, hardly believing what   
she was seeing.  
  
A blazing fireball ripped its way through the cloud cover,   
practically over her head. Lois had had some experience   
along those lines, however. If you ran, it seemed that any   
object falling from above was going to land directly on   
you, no matter in which direction you dodged. She brought   
the Jeep to a dead stop by the side of the street and   
watched.  
  
The fireball seemed to be plunging directly at her, but she   
knew that had to be an optical illusion and indeed it was.   
As it neared her, she saw that it was coming in at a steep   
angle, although she still seemed to be the target. A   
billboard advertising the Metroliner was directly in its   
path and she ducked involuntarily as the blazing object   
tore through the sign with a crack like a gunshot, passed   
close overhead in a roar of sound and plunged directly into   
a stand of trees. There was a balloon of flame, an   
explosion rocked the air and the trees shuddered and   
splintered beneath the force of the strike.  
  
Flame was licking at the sign, charring the edges of the   
hole. In Centennial Park, the trees were on fire. Later,   
Lois would wonder what could possibly have gotten into her,   
but at the moment she didn't even hesitate. She scrambled   
from the driver's seat and ran toward the blazing trees as   
fast as her legs would carry her.  
  
The only explanation for the fireball that she could think   
of was that it was a piece of the asteroid that had somehow   
arrived ahead of the others. She didn't stop to think how   
unlikely the possibility was. She only knew that she had a   
chance to get there before police, fire fighters or other   
journalists arrived on the scene.  
  
Pieces of flaming debris drifted toward her on the breeze.   
Lois turned to the right to circle the stand of shattered,   
burning trees so that she could approach from upwind. A   
cinder alighted on her skirt and she slapped at it with her   
bare hand. It stung and the burning ember left a hole in   
the cloth. Well, that was the end of her favorite skirt   
but it might be worth it if she got a good story out of   
this.  
  
A flaming branch dropped from one of the trees and she   
dodged farther right. The branch hit the ground, spraying   
sparks, and lay there, burning. The grass around it   
shriveled and began to steam but the dampness of the air   
was too much for it. The flames began to die within   
seconds. Looking back at the blazing trees, Lois could   
only imagine how hot that fireball must have been for the   
fire to burn so fiercely in the damp conditions.  
  
Circling the flames, she could feel the heat and she lifted   
a hand to shield her face. Beyond the trees, she found   
what she expected. The flaming object had struck at an   
angle and ploughed a long trough in the soft ground of the   
park. Small shrubs were still smoldering and a crater at   
the end of the trough was wreathed in smoke.  
  
Cautiously, she approached the crater, not sure what she   
might encounter. The smoke was acrid and caught in her   
throat. Absently, she fished in her handbag and found the   
handkerchief that she had stuffed into the bottom.   
Hastily, she shook out the crumpled wad and held the cloth   
over her mouth and nose, still advancing cautiously toward   
the crater.  
  
A light gust of wind blew a spray of water into her face   
and she realized the falling mist was growing heavier,   
helping to put out the smoldering brush on either side of   
the trough. The little licks of flame around the crater   
began to go out with sullen hisses of steam.  
  
There was something moving in the trench, she saw, almost   
unwilling to believe her eyes. Whatever it was must be   
badly burned -- an animal or --   
  
He pushed himself up on his hands, coughing, his motions   
hesitant and uncertain. His face and body were covered   
with black soot -- and nothing else.  
  
In any other circumstance, she would have been embarrassed,   
but embarrassment took a second place to complete shock.   
The man coughed again and managed to make it to a sitting   
position.  
  
"Are you all right?" Lois called.  
  
He heard her. He turned his head, squinting up at her in   
the darkness, and rubbed his temple. "Uh -- yeah. I think   
so."  
  
He didn't sound too certain of that, she thought. He was   
sitting in the smoldering crater as if not sure what to do   
next. Lois hesitated and removed her coat. "Here! Put   
this on!"  
  
She threw the garment to him. It landed in his lap and he   
stared at it for an instant and then slowly began to pull   
it over his arms.  
  
It was too narrow in the shoulders, she saw, but he managed   
to get into it and buttoned the lower part of the garment   
around his middle, leaving a wide expanse of chest and   
midriff bare.  
  
"Are you hurt?" she called.  
  
He hesitated and then made an effort to stand. "I don't   
seem to be. I don't think I am." His shoulders came to a   
level perhaps a foot below the rim of the crater. Lois   
hesitated and then extended a hand.  
  
He took it. His hand felt hot and the dirt and soot were   
gritty on her palm. "Come on," she commanded, "you can't   
stay in there."  
  
With her help, he scrambled up the crumbling edge of the   
crater. As soon as he made it to solid ground, Lois   
dropped his hand and backed away to a safe distance, but he   
made no hostile move, as she was half afraid he might. He   
simply stood, looking around with a bewildered expression   
on his face.  
  
"What happened?" she demanded. The circumstances were   
pretty unbelievable. The fireball had hit and she had   
found a completely naked man sitting, apparently unhurt, in   
the very center of the crater.  
  
"I...I don't know." He rubbed his face, smearing the soot   
more thoroughly across his features.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
In the uncertain light of the fire, he looked more lost   
than ever. "I don't remember," he mumbled. His voice had   
begun to shake. "I...I don't know."  
  
Something was very weird here. Still, she couldn't just   
leave the guy stranded almost naked in Centennial Park, in   
the middle of the night. He might be hurt more than it   
looked like. Didn't people die from internal injuries when   
they seemed perfectly fine? The least she could do would   
be to drop him off at the emergency room.  
  
"Come with me," she commanded. "And don't try anything. I   
have a brown belt in karate."  
  
He obeyed without an argument, the confused expression on   
his face growing more pronounced. Maybe he was in shock.   
Whatever was wrong, he didn't seem to be aggressive. But   
where were the emergency services? she wondered, leading   
the way back toward the Cherokee. It would be nice of them   
to show up and relieve her of this particular   
responsibility.  
  
This wasn't such a bright move, she was telling herself a   
minute later as they approached the Cherokee. Sure, the   
guy looked harmless, but there was still the possibility   
that it was all an act. Still, what was she supposed to   
do?"  
  
Behind them, the burning trees were beginning to put out   
more smoke than flame. The drizzle was having an effect.   
It didn't look as if the fire was in much danger of   
spreading -- which was fortunate, because there was still   
no sign of the emergency services showing up. What on   
Earth was going on? she wondered, still keeping a wary eye   
on her companion. Hadn't anyone except her seen the   
fireball coming in?  
  
As she and her dazed companion neared the Jeep, two shapes   
rose out of its shadow and approached them. Lois stopped.   
The figures came closer and she could see the streetlight   
glint off metal in the hand of the one on the right.  
  
"Hey, lady." The voice was mocking and amused. "This   
ain't a good place to be walking around at night."  
  
The other man guffawed and she saw that he, too, held a   
knife. Lois began to back away.  
  
A powerful hand seized her by the arm and swung her around.   
Suddenly her new companion was standing between her and the   
approaching men. "Leave the lady alone." His voice had   
lost its confusion and sounded almost threatening.  
  
"Yeah? Who are you? Little Bo Peep?" The man on the   
right showed his teeth in a grin that was half a sneer.  
  
Lois's protector didn't answer. In the light of the street   
lamp, his soot-smeared face looked grim and determined.   
Lois kicked off her shoes. If she was going to have to   
defend herself, the last thing she needed was to twist her   
ankle because of a pair of high-heels.  
  
The first man lunged forward, the knife swinging in,   
slashing at her companion's arm. What happened then was   
almost too fast for Lois to follow. In a blur of movement,   
he caught the knife hand, twisted the weapon free and flung   
it away.  
  
The second man rushed in at almost the same instant but it   
didn't catch her defender off guard. He caught the second   
attacker's weapon by the blade and the metal snapped like   
balsa wood. The attacker howled in pain as his hand was   
twisted backwards and Lois could swear she heard the crunch   
of bone. Then, both men were running away, fleeing into   
the darkness. Lois and the unknown man were left standing   
alone in the puddle of light from the street lamp.  
  
"Are you all right?" The man who had so ably defended her   
turned toward her, his soot-smudged face concerned.  
  
"Shouldn't I be asking you that? Are you cut?" She   
reached forward to examine his palm but there was no sign   
of an injury. "Where did you learn that?"  
  
The confused look had returned to his face. "I don't   
know."  
  
Almost absently, she stooped to pick up her shoes and slide   
them back onto her feet. "Well, thanks, anyway. I'm going   
to take you to the hospital. I think a doctor should look   
at you. You might have a concussion or something."  
  
Obediently, he nodded. "All right."  
  
Somewhere in the far distance, she could hear a siren, but   
it didn't seem to be approaching. More sirens joined it,   
equally distant. The man raised his head. "Look." He   
pointed.  
  
"What? -- Oh."  
  
To the west, she could now see a ruddy glow. The sounds of   
the sirens had become louder but were not growing any   
closer. It must be a good-sized fire, she thought. It   
looked like the emergency services had other things to do   
than to rush to a fire that seemed to be going out on its   
own.  
  
The drizzle was growing slowly but steadily heavier. Lois   
led the way to her Jeep and unlocked the door. This might   
be dangerous, but judging by what she had seen, if this guy   
had wanted to hurt her, he could have done it already.   
"Get in," she said.  
  
He obeyed and reached across to unlock the driver's door   
for her. Lois slid behind the wheel, glancing at him in   
the illumination of the dome light.  
  
Even with his face smeared with soot and lined with   
fatigue, he was remarkably good-looking, with black hair   
and dark brown eyes. He certainly didn't look like an axe   
murderer, and though looks could be deceiving, after the   
events a few minutes ago, she was inclined to trust him.   
He closed the passenger door and leaned back in the seat,   
closing his eyes. Lois shut her door. Starting the motor,   
she pulled away from the curb. Metropolis General wasn't   
more than a couple of miles away. Once she got him there,   
she could hand him over to the skilled hands of the   
emergency room staff and be on her way. Still, she would   
have liked to know how he'd gotten where she had found him.   
Maybe....  
  
He opened his eyes and sat up. "Do you hear that?"  
  
All she could hear was the patter of raindrops hitting the   
roof and the distant wail of the sirens. "Hear what?"  
  
He hesitated. "I'm not sure. It's coming from up ahead."  
  
Was he hearing things? Lois glanced sideways at him and   
then turned her attention to the road. It was starting to   
rain hard enough to make it necessary to turn on the   
wipers. The asphalt gleamed slickly black in the   
illumination of her headlights.  
  
The street turned ahead of them, leading toward a more   
residential section of town and as she rounded the corner,   
she found herself stamping on the brakes.  
  
Halfway down the block, a crowd of people was advancing,   
blocking the entire width of the street. Faintly, she   
could hear shouts, screams, and something that sounded like   
gunshots. Some in the crowd clutched various implements:   
baseball bats, shovels, rakes, and one man in the lead was   
brandishing what looked like a cricket bat. Many held   
flashlights and a couple actually waved crudely made   
torches. One woman was carrying a lopsided sign that read   
"Repent! The End is Near!" As Lois watched, several   
persons at the forefront of the mob descended upon a truck   
that was parked by the side of the street. A bat-wielder   
swung at the windshield and there was a shout of approval,   
faintly heard through the glass of the Cherokee. People   
surged forward, rocking the truck and obviously attempting   
to overturn it. Lois didn't wait to see more. She shoved   
the Jeep in reverse and backed up, swiveling the wheel as   
she did so. In an instant, she had reversed their   
direction and gunned the motor to escape from the rioters.   
No wonder the police hadn't shown up at the park, if this   
was going on around the city!  
  
"What are we going to do now?" Her companion had remained   
quiet while she executed their escape, but now he spoke up.  
  
She had already decided. Trying to get through the streets   
to her apartment was taking too big a risk and it looked as   
if a trip to the hospital was going to be equally risky.   
But the Daily Planet was only a few blocks away, back the   
way she had come. With luck, she and her new acquaintance   
could take refuge there until morning.  
  
**********   
  
The security bars had been closed and locked at the   
entrance to the Planet's basement parking lot. The guard   
peered suspiciously out as Lois pulled up at the little   
window and waved her press pass at him. "Ms. Lane? What   
are you doing here?"  
  
"It's too dangerous for me to try to make it home," she   
explained, quickly. "I ran into a bunch of rioters. I'm   
staying here, tonight."  
  
"Don't blame you. Just a minute." The guard turned away   
and a second later the barred gates rolled aside. She   
pulled the Jeep through. The lot was much less crowded at   
this time of night and she spotted a parking place almost   
immediately.  
  
Behind her, she heard the clang of the closing gates. With   
luck, that would keep out anyone who was trying to take   
advantage of the emergency. Carefully, with hands that   
were starting to shake, she pulled into the parking space   
and cut the engine.  
  
In the sudden silence, she leaned her forehead on the   
steering wheel for a moment, feeling lightheaded from the   
sudden release of tension. Her companion touched her arm.   
"Are you all right, Miss?"  
  
Slowly, she sat up. "Yeah. I'm fine."  
  
He smiled, almost shyly. "I haven't thanked you for   
helping me."  
  
She gave a short laugh. "That's all right. You helped me,   
back there, too." She extended a hand. "By the way, I'm   
Lois Lane."  
  
He took the hand. "It's nice to meet you. I wish I could   
tell you what my name is."  
  
"It's all right." She hesitated. "I need a name for you,   
though. Why don't I call you Charlie for the moment? You   
kind of look like a Charlie."  
  
"What does a Charlie look like?" he asked.  
  
"I don't know. You, I guess. Maybe you'll remember your   
real name after you've had some sleep. Do you have any   
idea how you got to where I found you?"  
  
He shook his head. "I'm sorry -- no."  
  
She opened her door and slid out. "Let's go upstairs to   
the newsroom. There ought to be some other people up   
there."  
  
"Okay. You're the boss."  
  
"Besides," she added, "maybe we can find you some better   
clothes."  
  
He glanced down at himself and she was surprised to see a   
red flush stain his cheekbones. "I could sure use some.   
I'm surprised you didn't run screaming when you saw me."  
  
She couldn't help a faint grin. "Oh, it wasn't that   
terrible a sight."  
  
He didn't answer, but his blush deepened. She locked the   
door of the Jeep and slammed it shut. "Come on," she   
directed. "The elevator is this way...."  
  
**********  
  
The newsroom was relatively quiet when Lois stepped out of   
the elevator with "Charlie" following her. Three or four   
people were moving around and the monitors were on with the   
sound turned down. There was light in the editor's office,   
which wasn't really a surprise. She could see Perry at his   
desk. For a moment, she wondered if the man ever went   
home, but then, tonight was an unusual one, anyway. After   
all, she hadn't even managed to make it to her apartment   
and Perry lived farther from the Planet than she did.  
  
Jimmy Olsen emerged from the supply closet with a package   
of printer paper in his hands. He saw her and stopped, his   
gaze going past her to her oddly dressed companion. Lois   
had to admit that it looked pretty strange, but Jimmy   
hadn't gone through the last hour with her. She led the   
way down the ramp with a businesslike step and waved at an   
empty chair. "Wait there for a minute. I need to talk to   
my boss."  
  
Perry stepped out of his office as she approached. "Lois -  
- what happened? Who's that guy? Why's he wearin' your   
coat?"  
  
Her reflection in his office window explained the first   
question. Her face was smeared with streaks of soot and   
her hair had definitely looked better. She made an   
ineffectual gesture at it and gave up for the moment. "I   
can't get home, Perry. I ran into rioters. I figured I   
could sleep here tonight."  
  
"Are you all right? And who's that guy?"  
  
"He doesn't know. Did anyone report the fireball?"  
  
"We saw it from the window. There's only been one report   
on the news -- " Perry broke off, staring at her. "What   
happened?"  
  
"It came down in Centennial Park," Lois said. "I was there   
when it landed -- "  
  
He was silent while she gave him a quick summary of the   
events of the past hour. When she finished, he whistled   
softly. "Honey, if anyone else told me that story, I   
wouldn't believe it. Okay, Charlie can stay for the night.   
I guess we owe him that, at least. You write up what   
happened. At least some people will want to know about   
that crater in the park. Any idea how he got where he   
was?"  
  
Lois shook her head. "None. And he doesn't remember."  
  
"Guy's probably in shock," Perry said. "Let's hope that's   
all that's wrong. I guess I better say hello."  
  
Lois nodded and led the way across the newsroom to where   
Charlie sat.  
  
He got to his feet as they approached, pulling Lois's coat   
more closely about his chest, without much result. Perry   
held out a hand.  
  
"Hello, Charlie. I'm Perry White, the editor here. Thanks   
for helpin' Lois in the park."  
  
Charlie took his hand. "I couldn't let those men hurt her.   
It's nice to meet you, sir."  
  
Perry grinned slightly. "Wish more people felt that way.   
Are you all right, son? Lois told me where she found you."  
  
"I think so -- at least, I don't seem to be hurt -- except   
that I can't remember anything." Charlie ran a hand   
through his hair, making it stand more on end than ever.   
"I don't even know my name. It's a little scary."  
  
"Maybe you hit your head," Perry said, helpfully.   
"Tomorrow, we'll try to get you to Metro General -- and a   
little sleep might help, too. In the meantime, maybe we   
can find you something better to wear. Jimmy!"  
  
Jimmy had been hovering nearby, obviously curious about the   
strangely dressed man. Perry beckoned him forward. "This   
is Charlie. Take him down to the lockers and find him some   
clothes."  
  
"Right away, Chief." Jimmy grinned cheerfully at the   
newcomer. "Hi. I'm Jimmy Olsen. Come on. I think I can   
get you something better than Lois's coat. Mind if I let   
him use the shower, Chief?"  
  
"I think that might be a good idea," Perry agreed. He and   
Lois watched the two of them leave and then Perry said,   
"You were lucky he turned out to be a good guy, Lois. He   
could have just as easily been another mugger. What was he   
doin' in Centennial Park at that hour, anyway?"  
  
Lois shrugged. "I'm more interested in how he turned up in   
the crater without a mark on him. Not to mention, how he   
disarmed two muggers and didn't pick up a scratch. And   
what was that thing, anyway? Was it a piece of Nightfall?"  
  
"I don't see how it could have gotten here so far ahead of   
the predictions," Perry said. "There's a limit to how fast   
it could travel."  
  
"Did EPRAD have any idea?"  
  
Perry shrugged. "We've been trying to phone them, but the   
lines have been jammed. Evidently, a lot of other people   
have been trying to call them, too."  
  
"Yeah." Lois glanced down at the hole in her skirt and   
grimaced. "I think I'll go wash the soot off my face.   
Have you managed to get hold of Alice?"  
  
Perry shook his head. "She's been visiting the boys for   
the last couple of days. I tried to call, but the lines   
are pretty much jammed all over the country. I'm going to   
try again a little later. Maybe if EPRAD gives us an 'all   
clear' tomorrow, I'll be able to get through."  
  
"*If* they give us the 'all clear'," Lois said. "This is   
crazy, Perry. Where on Earth are the police? A lot of   
people ought to be arrested for what they've been doing   
tonight."  
  
"There aren't enough jails to hold every person who's been   
doing stupid things for the last day or so," Perry said.   
"No police force on Earth could control an entire city in a   
panic."  
  
"I guess not. It's scary how quickly things can fall   
apart. I wish people would keep their heads in an   
emergency."  
  
"Most do," Perry said. "It's the ones who don't that cause   
the trouble. Let's hope things quiet down by tomorrow.   
I'm lettin' Jimmy stay here tonight, too -- his place is   
over near the spot where they're fightin' that fire.   
Arson," he added, grimly. "He probably couldn't even get   
through."  
  
"Perry, you're not going to try to go home at this time of   
night, are you?" Lois tried to sound casual, but she was   
aware that her boss wasn't fooled. He shook his head.  
  
"No, not tonight. There's too much goin' on. I might need   
to be here." His expression didn't change. "You can sleep   
on the couch in my office. It'll give you some privacy."  
  
**********  
  
Lois had finished writing up her article about the fireball   
when Jimmy reappeared with Charlie. She glanced at them   
and then did a double take. Dressed in a pair of jeans and   
a T-shirt and without soot covering him from head to toe,   
the man whom she had rescued was definitely worth a second   
and maybe a third look. Jimmy was talking animatedly to   
him when they emerged from the elevator, and from what Lois   
gathered, he was explaining what a photojournalist's job   
entailed. Charlie was listening attentively and nodding in   
the appropriate places, apparently absorbing all the   
confusing details that the younger man was throwing at him   
with machine gun speed.  
  
The monitors switched to an aerial view of the street in   
front of City Hall at that moment and someone turned up the   
volume. A milling crowd filled the screen and a thin line   
of police in riot gear appeared to be holding them back.   
The mayor was speaking, calling for calm, his voice almost   
drowned out by the voices of the crowd.  
  
"What's going on?" Charlie had deserted Jimmy to stand   
beside her. His heavy, dark brows were drawn together in a   
frown. "All those rioters, and this -- what's happening?"  
  
"You don't know?" Thomas Bailey, one of the reporters on   
the night staff, asked.  
  
"Charlie has amnesia," Lois said, absently. She turned her   
attention from the monitors to the man standing beside her,   
feeling almost reluctant to explain the current   
circumstances. Could that be why his memory had   
disappeared? she wondered suddenly. Didn't that happen   
sometimes? She knew very little about amnesia, but she   
seemed to recall reading an article at sometime or other   
about someone who had been so upset about events in his   
life that he had literally blocked it all out. She   
supposed it was possible, but Charlie, or whatever his name   
really was, didn't seem to be the kind of guy who would run   
from danger. On the other hand, what did she really know   
about him?  
  
The answer, of course, was almost nothing. She knew he   
seemed to be a decent guy, but there were plenty of things   
about him that she couldn't explain. If she survived the   
next three days, she might have time to figure out who he   
was and how he had managed all the things she had questions   
about. But, in the meantime....   
  
He was looking directly at her, obviously waiting for her   
to enlighten him. She put a hand on his arm. "Come on   
into the conference room, Charlie. I'll tell you about it   
-- "  
  
**********   
  
Lois woke for the fifth time, and looked up at the dim   
ceiling of Perry White's office. The reason she was here   
came back at once and she turned over, trying to get   
comfortable on the office couch.  
  
The blinds were drawn to give her privacy and she could see   
light in the room beyond leaking around the edges. The   
night staff was still awake, although the lack of noise out   
there seemed to indicate that nothing much was happening.  
  
The clock on the wall said it was three-thirty. Lois   
squirmed around on the cushions again and closed her eyes,   
trying to will herself back to sleep. She was tired, but   
at the same time, her brain was active and wide-awake.   
Every time she closed her eyes she could see the fireball   
plunging toward her and in her sleep she had relived over   
and over the moment when she had first seen Charlie in the   
middle of the smoking crater.  
  
The sheer impossibility of that circumstance contrasted   
with the fact that she had seen it with her own eyes.   
Common sense said that Charlie couldn't have been where he   
was, stark naked, and yet have walked away without a single   
scorch mark. And then there had been the muggers' knives.   
He might have escaped damage by the first one -- maybe,   
anyhow. It was just possible that some advanced fighting   
technique that he didn't consciously remember was behind   
it, but she had seen him seize the second one by the blade.   
He should have been sliced at the very least and yet his   
hand had been uninjured.  
  
"Lois, you're going to start imagining miracles in a few   
minutes," she muttered to herself. Either Charlie was some   
kind of supernatural being or he'd been incredibly lucky.   
Since the probability of angels being involved was pretty   
low, she might have to accept the idea of sheer dumb luck   
even if she couldn't imagine any possible way he could have   
escaped injury.  
  
There had been that story last year -- that kid in Texas   
who had been picked up by a tornado, carried fifteen miles   
away and deposited in the middle of a field without a   
scratch and without a stitch of clothing. Seemingly   
impossible things did happen, but this one....  
  
All her instincts rebelled against that explanation where   
Charlie was concerned, but no other solution presented   
itself for the time being -- at least, none that she was   
prepared to accept.  
  
Finally, she sat up. She wasn't going to get any sleep   
this way. Maybe a drink of water would help.  
  
The Planet's newsroom was quiet when she opened the door of   
Perry's office. Jimmy was dozing in his chair and Sara   
Hardesty was frankly asleep with her head on her desk. The   
monitors were still on, their sound turned down to a   
whisper. Tom Bailey and the other two members of the night   
staff were sitting around the coffee machine, conversing in   
whispers.  
  
Perry was sound asleep on the conference room table, she   
realized a moment later, his jacket rolled up under his   
head. Lois winced. His back was going to bother him in   
the morning. Maybe she should wake him up and send him in   
to sleep on his couch. After a moment's consideration, she   
rejected the notion. He'd given up his office couch for   
her, with his typical Southern chivalry, and taken the far   
less comfortable bed, but at least he was asleep. If she   
woke him up now, he'd probably be awake for the rest of the   
night.  
  
"Can't sleep?" Charlie's voice spoke quietly from behind   
her, and she almost jumped.  
  
She turned around. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"  
  
"Sorry." He looked apologetic. "I thought you'd hear me."  
  
"It's okay. I guess you were trying not to wake anyone. I   
just got up to get a drink of water."  
  
"I heard you moving around," he said. "I couldn't sleep,   
either. It's pretty hard to think the world might end in   
just a couple of days and my whole life is a blank. I   
don't know if I have a family that's looking for me, or a   
job or anything."  
  
"You still can't remember how you got to where I found   
you?" Lois asked.  
  
He shook his head. "It's as if my life started when I woke   
up in that crater and heard you ask if I was all right."  
  
"Well, the fireball couldn't have hit you," Lois said.   
"You'd have been dead in that case. You say you woke up in   
the crater?"  
  
"Yeah." He followed her as she walked to the water cooler.   
"I was dreaming -- at least, I think I was. I couldn't   
breathe and I was running from something, trying to get   
somewhere that I'd be safe -- and then I was waking up and   
you were there."  
  
"And you didn't have a mark on you," Lois said. "I'd have   
thought you'd have at least picked up a few burns. The   
ground was hot."  
  
"I know. I could feel it -- but I must not have touched   
anything too hot because it didn't hurt. Just dumb luck, I   
guess. Weird, huh?"  
  
"That's one word for it," Lois agreed. "Or two, anyway.   
I'd like to get another look at the crater. Maybe we could   
figure out what happened if we saw it by daylight."  
  
"I suppose." Charlie looked doubtful. "Look, Ms. Lane --   
"  
  
Lois grimaced. "Call me Lois. I think we've gone past the   
'Ms. Lane' stage."  
  
He looked embarrassed. "Considering how you found me, I   
guess. Okay then, Lois. There's a lot of stuff going on   
out there right now. It could get kind of dangerous."  
  
"Charlie, I'm an investigative reporter. I know how to   
take care of myself."  
  
"I didn't mean you couldn't," Charlie said, quickly. "I   
just meant, it's more dangerous than usual. You probably   
could use some backup, just in case. And I want to find   
out what happened, too. Would you mind very much if I went   
with you?"  
  
She considered the request for a moment. Although she   
would never admit it, the idea of having a muscular   
bodyguard along -- one who had already proved he knew how   
to take care of himself, especially considering the   
situation out there right now -- had its appeal. She   
pretended to hesitate. "I really shouldn't let you get   
into more trouble. You've already lost your memory. But,   
it does involve you, after all."  
  
He looked hopeful. Finally, she said, "Well, okay, I guess   
it's only fair. There's a press conference at EPRAD at   
ten, tomorrow morning, to update us on the status of the   
Nightfall Asteroid. If you don't mind, I'd like to drop   
you off at Metro General in the morning and pick you up   
after the conference. We'll go back then and look around.   
Besides, maybe you'll have remembered more by then."  
  
He nodded. "Thank you for wanting to help," he said,   
quietly. "Not to know anything about myself -- what I've   
done, what I've missed -- "  
  
Lois nodded, feeling a little ashamed of herself. True,   
she liked Charlie, but her main reason for doing this   
didn't really have much to do with helping him regain his   
memory. Charlie had confronted her with a situation that   
seemed impossible on the surface, and Lois Lane had never   
been able to leave a mystery alone. Still, she   
rationalized, if she found out more about how he'd arrived   
where she had found him, she might be able to help him,   
too. That made her feel a little better.  
  
**********  
  
The first part of her plan was scuttled the next morning   
when a triage nurse informed her over the phone, that the   
emergency room was swamped and the wait for all but urgent   
cases was approximately ten hours. Since Charlie appeared   
to be in good health except for his memory loss, he would   
not be considered a priority case.  
  
Lois passed on the news. "Do you want to go there and wait   
for ten hours?"  
  
He shook his head. "No. Who's to say they won't get other   
urgent cases they have to take first? If I still haven't   
remembered anything when this is all over -- if it ever is   
-- then I'll go."  
  
"That's probably sensible," Perry said. He glanced at   
Lois. "Are you sure you want to do this?"  
  
"Yes," she said. "I can't help thinking the fireball has   
something to do with Nightfall. Call it a hunch if you   
like. Charlie and I are going to go back to the park right   
after the press conference and take a look at the crater by   
daylight."  
  
"Just watch out for muggers," Perry said, dryly.  
  
"We will," Lois said. "What's the latest on the riots?"  
  
"It looks like things have calmed down a bit, now that it's   
daylight. Most people aren't as brave about breaking the   
law when other people can see their faces." Perry fixed   
her with a no-nonsense look. "You still be careful out   
there, you hear me? Not everybody is behaving himself.   
I've been hearing sirens all morning."  
  
"I will be. Charlie will have to wait in the Jeep until   
after the press conference is over and then we're going to   
the park. He's determined to play bodyguard," Lois said.  
  
Charlie didn't smile. "It's not safe out there for anybody   
right now," he said. "I won't let anything happen to her,   
Mr. White."  
  
"I can take care of myself," Lois said.  
  
"I don't doubt it," Perry said. "Just have mercy on your   
old editor and make sure you come back alive, all right?"  
  
"I will." Lois glanced at her watch. "Come on, Charlie.   
We've got an hour to get to EPRAD and there are bound to be   
traffic problems."  
  
Jimmy appeared with a pair of wrapped sandwiches. "Here   
you are, Lois. Two cheese sandwiches out of the vending   
machine in the lobby. It was all they had left."  
  
Lois made a face, but accepted the items and handed one to   
Charlie. "Here. This will have to do until we can get   
something else later."  
  
He took the sandwich. "I'm not really that hungry -- "  
  
"You haven't eaten since last night," Lois said. "I don't   
want you passing out from hunger. Eat it."   
  
He obeyed meekly and Lois took a bite from her own,   
dismissing the subject.  
  
**********  
  
The press conference at EPRAD got off to a slow start.   
Professor Daitch and General Zeitlin were several minutes   
late and the members of the press were not taking it well,   
Lois thought. When the two men finally appeared and   
approached the microphone, several of the assembled   
journalists began to shout questions before either man had   
been given a chance to speak.  
  
Daitch raised his hands before him, waiting for the noise   
to die down. When it finally did, he was slow to begin.   
Lois didn't like the expression on his face. The scientist   
had a grim set to his mouth. He didn't look like a man who   
had been issued a reprieve.  
  
"We have just completed a briefing with the Federal   
Emergency Management Team. This meeting was called to   
discuss the new situation regarding the Nightfall   
Asteroid." Professor Daitch cleared his throat   
uncomfortably and glanced sideways at the general. It was   
obvious to Lois that he wasn't happy about the information   
that he was going to impart. Her heart sank. Daitch   
paused for several seconds and the assembled members of the   
media began to stir restlessly.  
  
"The explosion of the Nightfall Asteroid has changed the   
situation somewhat," the man continued, finally.  
  
"What do you mean by 'somewhat'?" Lois asked. "Is the   
Earth still in danger?"  
  
The scientist hesitated a long moment. "Unfortunately,   
yes. A large portion -- approximately three miles across -  
- remains on an impact course with the Earth. It is   
accompanied by other, much smaller pieces both preceding   
and trailing it, some of which can be expected to miss or   
to burn up in the atmosphere, and some which will reach the   
surface of the planet. They may cause a certain amount of   
damage, but it will be minor in comparison to the largest   
object." He paused. "We expect the meteor swarm to arrive   
approximately fifty-five hours from now."  
  
"Is the government doing anything about it?" Frank Madison   
inquired.  
  
General Zeitlin stepped forward and Daitch seemed relieved   
to surrender the spotlight to him. The General fixed   
Madison with a stern eye. "The Asgard booster is still   
available and is expected to be able to eliminate the   
largest object," he said. "The smaller objects may cause a   
certain level of damage but nothing outside the capability   
of disaster relief organizations to cope with. The   
situation has improved considerably. The greatest danger   
the Earth faces at this moment is the panic and civil   
disturbances we've seen over the last twenty-four hours.   
If necessary, martial law will be declared to maintain   
order." He glanced at his watch. "Now if you will excuse   
me, ladies and gentlemen of the press, I'm due at a meeting   
in five minutes."  
  
**********  
  
"I guess the news wasn't very good," Charlie said.  
  
Lois shook her head. "There's still a big piece of   
asteroid headed for us. Some littler ones, too, but the   
one they're worried about is three miles across."  
  
Charlie swallowed. "How long?"  
  
"Fifty-five hours," Lois said. "I hate to admit it, but   
I'm scared."  
  
"So am I." Charlie said, soberly. "Anyone would be."  
  
They were silent for several moments, waiting while the   
crowd of cars around them maneuvered for the quickest way   
out of the lot.  
  
"What do you want to do, now?" Charlie asked, at last.  
  
Lois took a deep breath and blew it out. "I guess we'll do   
what we planned on doing. I don't even know why, you know?   
The fireball still isn't explained and I just have the   
feeling that it somehow has something to do with Nightfall,   
but I can't begin to tell you why. Even if we do find out   
something about it, it probably won't help." She looked at   
his expression and felt suddenly ashamed of herself. "I   
guess I'm not used to being so helpless. I need to be   
doing something. If we can just figure out where you came   
from, at least we can get you back to your family, if the   
Asgard rocket doesn't manage to save us. When I wrote the   
story about the fireball, I told all of it -- finding you,   
everything. It's on the front page -- a sidebar to the   
Nightfall update from last night. Maybe somebody will   
realize who you are and come forward."  
  
Charlie met her eyes and smiled. "Thank you."  
  
She smiled back. "I'm not really being all that   
altruistic, you know. If I didn't have something else to   
think about right now, I'd go crazy."  
  
His smile widened a little. "I know. I feel a little the   
same way. But if I have to be in this situation, I'm glad   
it's with someone like you."  
  
**********  
  
The streets were quiet as they drove away from EPRAD back   
toward Centennial Park. Lois tried not to look at the   
debris left by last night's riots: the smashed windows and   
overturned or burned cars. Twice they were stopped by   
police checkpoints and allowed to go ahead when Lois   
presented her press pass. When they finally arrived at the   
place where Lois had been when she had first seen the   
fireball, neither said anything. She pulled up to the side   
of the street and she and Charlie carefully locked the   
doors before they started for the crater.  
  
The morning was bright and sunny. It was hard to believe   
that somewhere out in space, growing ever closer, a   
mindless chunk of rock, three miles across, was plunging   
toward them at nearly thirty thousand miles an hour; that   
in slightly over two days it would smash into their world,   
bringing an end to the life that everyone had known. Of   
course, there was still the Asgard rocket, Lois reminded   
herself. If they could hit the thing with a nuclear   
payload, the fallout might be something they would have to   
deal with afterwards, but at least civilization would   
survive.  
  
"It came from there," Lois said, pointing in the direction   
of the sign, where a jagged hole, charred at the edges,   
showed the path of the fireball the night before.  
  
Charlie looked, and then followed her pointing finger to   
the shattered stand of trees. "Wow," he remarked. "You'd   
think something like that would have made a bigger crater.   
Have you ever seen the one in Arizona?"  
  
"No," Lois admitted. "I've seen pictures, of course -- "   
She broke off. "You remember seeing it?"  
  
"Yeah, kind of. I think I saw it from the air. It's this   
huge crater --"  
  
"Do you know when?"  
  
The look of discovery on his face faded. "No."  
  
"Well, at least you remembered something." She took his   
elbow with one hand. "Come on. Let's go look at it by   
daylight."  
  
There was no one visible as they walked toward the broken,   
charcoal skeletons that had been a stand of maple trees the   
night before. As they rounded the trees, Charlie stared at   
the trough the fireball had ploughed in the soft ground and   
the crater at its end. "Good grief! And you found me in   
the crater?"  
  
"Right at the end," Lois said. She was watching his face   
as he stared at the damage. He scowled, as if trying to   
recall something that slipped from his grasp as he reached   
for it. "Are you remembering anything?"  
  
"Just that dream," he said, slowly. "I remember the   
dream."  
  
"Tell me about it," she said. "Maybe it wasn't all a   
dream."  
  
He shook his head. "I don't see how it could have been   
anything else."  
  
"That's okay. Tell me what you remember about it, anyway."  
  
"All right." He let her lead him toward the crater as he   
began to speak. "I was scared; I remember that much. I   
was trying to get away from something but I don't think it   
was anything alive. It's funny, you know -- most of time I   
don't remember what I dream, or I just remember bits and   
pieces and then I forget even that after a while."  
  
"Maybe that means this was something more than just a   
dream," Lois said. She was aware that she was clutching at   
straws but, so far, there didn't seem to be anything more   
concrete to work with. "Anything else?"  
  
"I remember not being able to breathe," he said. "I was   
falling and there was no air. I thought I was dying, and   
then all of a sudden it was hot -- not hot enough to burn   
me, but hot -- and there was air."  
  
"Was the air hot, too?" Lois asked, before she thought.  
  
"Yeah, it was. I was falling and it was hot, but I could   
breathe. Then, there was a kind of a crash and nothing for   
a while. And then I heard you asking if I was all right."   
He paused, his brow still wrinkled with the effort at   
recall. "Weird, huh?"  
  
"Yeah," Lois said. "Definitely weird. Especially since I   
found you in a crater so hot it was still smoking."  
  
He shrugged. "Maybe I dreamed it because the crater was   
hot."  
  
"Yeah, maybe. I'd still like to know why you didn't get   
burned, though."  
  
"Believe me, if I knew, I'd tell you."  
  
They were standing at the edge of the crater, now, looking   
down at the scorched, torn earth. Was it her imagination,   
or could she see the imprint of his body in the blackened   
dirt? Something gleamed dully amid the ashes, reflecting   
the late morning sunlight. She glanced at her companion.   
"Charlie, could you give me a hand? I want to get down in   
there and look around."  
  
He seemed doubtful, but nodded. "Okay."  
  
Lois kicked off her shoes and set down her shoulder bag.   
She always kept a change of clothing at the Planet, and the   
pantsuit was probably going to need dry cleaning after   
this, but she wanted to look more closely at the crater   
before any more evidence was destroyed by the weather.   
"Okay, I'm ready."  
  
Charlie held out his hands and she took them. An instant   
later, she felt herself lifted as lightly as a feather and   
lowered over the side of the crater. Slightly surprised at   
his apparent strength, she almost didn't realize it when   
her feet touched the scorched dirt at the bottom. She   
almost stumbled as he let her go, and regained her balance   
with an effort. Wow! Charlie had a nice build, but he was   
even stronger than he looked.  
  
"Are you all right?" He was kneeling at the edge of the   
crater, looking at her in some concern.  
  
"Um, yeah. Fine." She turned her attention to the marks   
his body had left in the dirt. There was where he had sat   
up, and that mark looked like a handprint -- which meant   
his head would have been here.... Again, she saw that dull   
gleam as light reflected off something nearly buried in the   
dirt and ash.  
  
Lois leaned down and picked it up.  
  
It came free easily and she frowned at the object in   
puzzlement. What on Earth was a pair of glasses with half-  
melted frames doing here?  
  
"What is it?" Charlie asked.  
  
"Glasses," she said. "Melted glasses."  
  
"Let me see," he requested.  
  
She held them up to him and he reached out to take them.   
He frowned at the glasses with a look of half-recognition.  
  
"Are they yours?" Lois asked.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Well, hold onto them for me a minute." She looked around   
again, careful not to disturb the marks that Charlie had   
left the night before. The places where he had lain were   
as scorched as the rest of the crater.  
  
This didn't make sense, she thought. Every indication said   
that Charlie should have been badly burned, but he   
obviously wasn't. There was something she was missing here   
-- something important.  
  
"Is anything wrong?" he asked.  
  
"I'm not sure." She turned and held up her arms. "Help me   
out, please."  
  
He gripped her hands and hoisted her out with no more   
effort than he had used to lower her into the hole. Lois   
dusted herself off and slipped her shoes back on. "Do you   
still have the glasses?"  
  
"Oh, yeah." He had stuck them into a back pocket, but now   
he retrieved them. "Here."  
  
She tucked them into her handbag. Maybe a lab could tell   
her something about them, but the chances were that they   
would remain one more unsolved mystery in this whole   
investigation -- unless Charlie regained his memory before   
it was too late.  
  
**********   
  
"Find anything, Lois?" Perry asked.  
  
Lois looked up from her examination of the melted glasses.  
  
"Yeah -- these. I don't know if they mean anything,   
though. Charlie seems to see just fine without glasses, so   
they may not be his. The spot where he was lying was just   
as burned as the rest of the crater, though. It doesn't   
make sense."  
  
"Any sign of whatever the thing was that came in last   
night?"  
  
She shook her head. "Nothing. Just a big hole in the   
ground. This is really weird, Chief."  
  
"Yeah." Perry sighed. "One more mystery to add to all the   
other ones right now. What shattered Nightfall? I mean,   
I'm grateful. An asteroid that's three miles across is   
better than one seventeen miles across. It may cause a lot   
of damage, but at least the Earth and the human race will   
still be here afterwards."  
  
"Yeah, well another ice age doesn't bode well for   
humanity," Lois said. "And if what we've seen in the last   
couple of days is any indication, it won't be a picnic."  
  
Her editor shrugged. "I'll take any pluses that we can get   
right now. We're not dinosaurs. We can take steps to   
survive when they couldn't, even if it won't be fun. The   
human race won't become extinct."  
  
"And there's always the chance that the Asgard rocket will   
do the trick," Jimmy said. "I don't like having to depend   
on a rocket. Things break down, people make mistakes --   
but it's better than nothing."  
  
"Has anyone called about Charlie?" Lois asked. "I made   
sure to mention him in my piece about the fireball -- just   
in case."  
  
Perry shook his head. "The lines are still pretty much   
jammed. I did get a call through to Alice, finally. She   
hasn't been able to get a flight back to Metropolis." He   
straightened up. "Hell, she's probably just as safe where   
she is. Maybe safer."  
  
"Maybe," Lois said.  
  
"Did you get hold of your parents, Lois?" Jimmy asked.  
  
"Yeah. Mother, Dad, Lucy and I managed to get together for   
a conference call, a little while ago. Mother and Dad even   
acted as if they liked each other. It was nice."  
  
Perry glanced at Charlie where he stood looking out at the   
city. "He's probably the luckiest of us all. If he can't   
remember what it was like, he won't miss it so much when   
it's gone. You tell him he can sleep here again tonight,   
Lois. It wouldn't be right to throw him out with no place   
to go."  
  
**********   
  
"That was nice of Mr. White," Charlie said a few moments   
later. "I appreciate it."  
  
Lois nodded. She looked out the window at the clear blue   
of the sky. It didn't look as if doomsday was approaching.   
Wasn't it supposed to be covered with clouds and foreboding   
shadows or something?  
  
The elevator doors opened at that moment and Cat Grant   
stepped out. The Planet's gossip columnist glanced around   
and, as might have been expected, her gaze settled   
immediately on Charlie. Surprised, Lois found herself   
bristling slightly as the woman came quickly down the steps   
to the newsroom floor, and had to remind herself that she   
had no reason to be jealous. Charlie was just a guy she'd   
met last night, after all.  
  
"Well, well -- who's this?" Cat looked Charlie over, and   
Lois could have sworn she was licking her lips.  
  
"This is Charlie," Lois said. "He has amnesia and he   
stayed at the Planet last night. Charlie, this is Cat   
Grant, our gossip columnist."  
  
Charlie extended a hand. "Pleased to meet you, Miss   
Grant."  
  
Cat ran her eyes over Charlie in a way that Lois found   
annoying. "Pleased to meet *you*, Charlie," she purred,   
eyeing him like a tiger checking over a potential meal,   
Lois thought. "Now I'm sorry I decided to leave early,   
yesterday. If you need a place to stay tonight, I have   
room."  
  
"Um -- thanks, but Mr. White already offered," Charlie   
said, looking uncomfortable.  
  
"I can offer a few fringe benefits that Perry can't," Cat   
said, trailing a finger along his arm.  
  
Lois couldn't take it anymore. "I'm hungry," she   
announced, suddenly. "Do you suppose it's safe to go out   
for something to eat? And all you've had since yesterday   
was a stale, cheese sandwich, Charlie. You must be   
starving. Come on -- my treat."  
  
He shrugged. "I'm not really hungry."  
  
"Don't be so noble. If the Asgard rocket misses, money   
won't mean anything, anyway. Besides, I'll feel safer with   
you along. Let's go."  
  
Appealing to his chivalry was apparently the key. He   
smiled at Cat. "All right, Lois. It was nice meeting you,   
Miss Grant."  
  
**********  
  
"The nerve of that woman," Lois was saying, a few moments   
later as they left the Planet via the front door. "She   
only just met you!"  
  
Charlie wisely said nothing. Lois fumed silently for a few   
more moments. How *dare* Cat move in on her territory like   
that! She'd discovered Charlie! The woman had absolutely   
*no* class!  
  
The streets were fairly quiet near the Planet, but Lois   
could hear sirens not far away. Things weren't nearly as   
uneventful as they looked from here. Uncharacteristically,   
she had no wish to rush to the scene. One more riot at   
this point wouldn't make any difference or even make news.  
  
"It looks like the coffee shop is open," she said,   
pointing. "Want to eat there?"  
  
"Sure," he agreed. "We probably won't find anything better   
right now."  
  
A few moments later, they were seated in a booth by the   
window. Two other customers were there, one of them a   
police officer who was waiting at the cash register. As   
they watched, an employee emerged from the kitchen area   
with several bags of food in a large carton that had   
originally held ketchup. The officer picked it up and   
departed.  
  
"Can I help you?" A young woman had appeared by their   
table. "Hi, Ms. Lane."  
  
"Hi." She looked familiar, although Lois had never learned   
her name. Her nametag introduced her as Lena. "Not much   
business today, huh?"  
  
"Not much. People are afraid to go out anywhere. We've   
had some police and firefighters in." Lena sighed. "If   
that Nightfall thing hits, I wonder if there'll be any   
businesses left. Well --" She plastered a smile on her   
face. "What can I get you?"  
  
For once, Lois ordered a full meal with genuine sugar and   
cream in her coffee and real butter on her toast. If   
Nightfall hit the planet, she might not be alive long   
enough to get fat, anyhow. Why should she deprive herself   
in order to stay slim if it didn't matter anymore?  
  
Charlie, in spite of his declaration that he wasn't hungry,   
made a good meal as well. Lois couldn't quite imagine   
herself eating a full order of steak and shrimp with all   
the trimmings in the middle of the day, but if it made him   
happy, she wasn't going to argue at this point.  
  
Taking a cautious sip of her steaming coffee, Lois watched   
her companion. He presented a puzzle that was a welcome   
distraction to the larger problem that she couldn't solve.   
Everything about him, so far, was contradictory. About the   
only thing she was sure of was that he was a decent guy.  
  
She blinked suddenly, realizing what she was seeing. He   
had picked up his coffee that was certainly as hot as hers,   
since it was steaming vigorously, and took a healthy   
swallow. He didn't even wince.  
  
"Isn't that hot?" she inquired. "Didn't you burn   
yourself?"  
  
"It's not that hot," he said, apparently unaware of her   
sudden attention.  
  
"It's steaming," she said. She put out a hand and felt the   
cup. The surface was hot enough that she couldn't rest her   
hand comfortably on it for more than a couple of seconds.   
There was no way he should have been able to swallow the   
coffee without scalding his mouth just as there was no way   
he should have been able to lie in that crater without   
being badly burned. And he obviously didn't realize there   
was anything unusual about it.  
  
Just what was Charlie, anyway?  
  
**********  
  
"Is something wrong?" Charlie asked. "You've been looking   
at me like I've grown another head ever since we had   
lunch."  
  
They were strolling along the street, back toward the Daily   
Planet. The street wasn't empty, but there were only a few   
people visible and not all of them were individuals Lois   
would care to meet alone in a dark alley. The faint smell   
of smoke drifted past them in the light breeze and   
somewhere not far away, sirens were screaming. She ignored   
them.  
  
"Lois?" Charlie repeated. "Is something wrong?"  
  
She shook her head. "No. I'm still just trying to figure   
you out."  
  
"Well, let me know if you do."  
  
She nodded agreement, suppressing the urge to tell him what   
she'd noticed. She didn't want to look silly, but she   
didn't think she was wrong. Charlie was resistant to heat.   
The hot coffee hadn't affected him at all, even though it   
would have burned anyone else. Somehow, Charlie was   
different and she was determined to figure out how and why.  
  
Unbidden, the thought from last night popped into her mind.   
Either Charlie was a supernatural being or he'd had an   
incredible bout of sheer, dumb luck. It was beginning to   
look as if it was more the former than the latter. Did   
angels look like Charlie? True, he was extremely good   
looking, but supernatural? That was a harder bite to   
swallow. Still, wasn't it an incredible coincidence that   
he'd turned up just now, even without his memory?  
  
For a moment, her more practical nature reasserted itself.   
The whole idea made her think that the stress might be   
making her lose her mind. She didn't really think Charlie   
had been sent to save the Earth from Nightfall. But that   
fireball...how could it have been part of the shattered   
asteroid? Nightfall -- or what was left of it, anyway --   
was still two days away. If it hadn't been a piece of   
Nightfall, what had it been -- a fluke meteor that just   
happened to crash into Centennial Park while she had been   
there, just missing a man who had miraculously survived,   
and who just happened to be fireproof?  
  
It all seemed, somehow, too much of a coincidence.  
  
Underneath, she was aware that she was clutching at straws   
with a vengeance, but what the heck! If she was wrong, it   
couldn't do any more harm, that was for sure. If there was   
the faintest chance that there was some kind of weird   
connection, didn't she owe it to herself to try to find   
out? Charlie was apparently fireproof -- and possibly   
more. He'd tackled two men with knives last night; he'd   
actually grabbed one knife by the blade, snapped it and   
come away unscathed. It was probably temporary insanity on   
her part, but there was a lot about Charlie that still   
needed to be explained. Maybe it was time to start   
believing in miracles. Or just hoping for them.  
  
Only, what did she do now with this incredibly crazy idea?   
Obviously, the first thing was to help Charlie regain his   
memory, only how was she supposed to do that? There was at   
least a ten-hour wait at the hospital for him to be seen.   
Besides, what could an emergency room doctor do? Refer him   
to a psychiatrist in a month or so?  
  
Well then, how about a private doctor?  
  
"Charlie," she said, suddenly, "I know someone who might be   
able to help you."  
  
"Who?" he asked.  
  
"Her name is Dr. Ruth Friskin. She's a psychotherapist.   
My sister saw her a few times."  
  
Both his eyebrows went up. "A *shrink*?"  
  
"Well," Lois pointed out, "it's your memory that's the   
problem."  
  
"Yeah, I guess." He didn't look enthusiastic, but finally   
nodded. "So, how do we find this Dr. Friskin?"  
  
"Well, we could try to call her. Perry said the phone   
lines were jammed, though. Or, I guess we could just go to   
her office."  
  
"She may not even be there."  
  
"True, but we can only try. Let's find her address."  
  
There was a public phone a short distance ahead with   
phonebooks available. Lois took the white pages and began   
to leaf through the businesses in the "F" section.   
"Filbert...Franklin...Ah, Friskin!" She read the address.   
"She's only a couple of blocks from here. Do you want to   
walk or take the Jeep?"  
  
"You don't think she'll take me right away, do you?"  
  
"It can't hurt to try," Lois said. "Let's go."  
  
He nodded reluctantly and they turned in the direction of   
Ruth Friskin's office. Lois led the way with a confidence   
she didn't completely feel. She couldn't help wondering   
which of them needed to see the doctor more, Charlie or   
her. This had to be the craziest idea she'd ever had.   
Still, even if it did no more than help Charlie remember   
who he was, it might be worth it.  
  
**********  
  
Dr. Friskin's office was open, but only one man paced   
distractedly about the waiting room and the receptionist's   
station was empty. When Lois led Charlie into the room, he   
glanced at them but didn't speak.  
  
"Is Dr. Friskin here?" Lois asked.  
  
"Yeah. My wife's with her, now." The man fell silent.   
Lois marched to the receptionist's station and began to   
ruffle through a stack of papers. After a moment, she   
found what she was looking for.  
  
"Here, Charlie," she said, presenting him with a printed   
form. "Fill this out."  
  
Charlie accepted the paper and a pen from the   
receptionist's pencil holder and settled down in an   
armchair.  
  
"It wants a last name," he said, after a minute.  
  
"Just fill out what you can," Lois directed. "They can't   
expect a man with amnesia to know much about himself."  
  
"That's for sure," he mumbled. A few seconds later, he   
handed her the paper. He had filled out the name she had   
given him and his gender. The rest was blank.  
  
It was about fifteen minutes later when a thin, determined-  
looking woman entered the room, followed by the doctor,   
herself. The woman glanced at her pacing husband and   
turned to the doctor. "I still think Norman needs to talk   
to you more than I do." She advanced and took his arm.   
"Let's go, Norm, before you have a real nervous breakdown."  
  
Dr. Friskin smiled. "I'll see you Friday." She turned to   
Lois and Charlie. "Can I help you?"  
  
Lois stepped forward. "This is Charlie. I found him last   
night in Centennial Park. He's lost his memory and we were   
wondering if there was anything you could do to help."  
  
The doctor's eyebrows flew up in surprise but she took the   
paper Lois handed her. "Hmm." She cast a measured glance   
at Charlie. "You don't remember much, I see."  
  
Charlie ducked his head. "I'm afraid not."  
  
Dr. Friskin shrugged, lightly. "Well, since most of my   
patients haven't bothered to show up today, I guess we have   
the time. Why don't you come in here, Charlie?"  
  
Lois almost followed them, but thought better of it. She   
sank down in the armchair where Charlie had been seated and   
considered picking up a magazine to kill time, but somehow,   
with the possible end of civilization approaching at   
several times the speed of sound, "Health Tips for the   
Business Professional" didn't seem to be relevant. After a   
moment, she was on her feet, pacing, and didn't even   
remember standing up.  
  
She had always made jumps of intuition which, more often   
than not, turned out to be right or nearly right, but this   
idea of hers had to be completely nuts. What did she   
expect Charlie to do, even if he remembered everything when   
he came out of Dr. Friskin's office? Fly into space and   
stop the asteroid cold? Just because the man was fireproof   
didn't mean he could produce miracles.  
  
Still, there was so much about him that didn't add up --   
and besides, she liked him. Lois Lane never did anything   
out of sentiment, or almost never, but Charlie was such a   
charming guy in an innocent sort of way and he obviously   
trusted her to try to help him. In the face of that, she   
found herself completely unable to turn him loose to cope   
on his own. And there were still the questions that she   
wanted answers for. What had really happened in Centennial   
Park last night? Who was Charlie and where did he come   
from?  
  
**********  
  
It was over an hour before Charlie returned. Dr. Friskin   
accompanied him. "Remember what I said, Charlie. Once the   
emergency is over, your memory will probably return. I'll   
just fill Ms. Lane in, now. If you feel as if you need to,   
call me. I'll make time to listen to you."  
  
Charlie nodded. "Thank you."  
  
"Any luck?" Lois asked.  
  
"Not yet." Dr. Friskin beckoned Lois into her private   
office and shut the door. "I wanted to speak to you, Ms.   
Lane."  
  
"Can you help him?" Lois asked.  
  
"I don't know." Dr. Friskin took a seat behind her desk.   
"He's given me permission to give you information about his   
case, so I'm going to speak freely." She glanced at a note   
pad in front of her. "Charlie's almost complete memory   
loss is of a type we call 'hysterical amnesia' -- that is,   
it's frequently caused by some event or situation that the   
person desperately wants to forget. There's nothing   
physically wrong with him that I can see, but he told me   
how you found him, and, of course, I read your account in   
the Daily Planet. That kind of trauma is more than enough   
of an excuse for the mind to trigger the memory loss. My   
guess would be that anxiety about the asteroid is a factor.   
Once it's past, his memory will probably return."  
  
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Lois asked.  
  
"Try to get him to talk to you. Be a willing listener.   
Since we don't know anything about his past, it isn't   
possible to immerse him in familiar settings or the like.   
If you can find anyone who recognizes him, it will be a   
help."  
  
"Yeah, I figured that," Lois said. "I'll do my best.   
Now," she added, "about payment -- "  
  
Ruth Friskin shrugged. "Call it my act of charity for the   
week. If Charlie's memory returns in the near future --   
and assuming the world survives past the next couple of   
days -- we can talk about payment, then."  
  
**********  
  
They left Dr. Friskin's office a few minutes later. Lois   
glanced at her watch. It was just past two. In about   
fifty-one hours, the Nightfall meteor swarm would be here.   
What would it be like? she wondered. She could almost envy   
Charlie his loss of memory, except that he knew about the   
asteroid. How could it help him to forget everything about   
himself if the cause was still there, *and* he knew about   
it? Dr. Friskin was probably mostly right, but Lois had to   
think that something else as well lay behind it. But what?  
  
"Charlie," she began and paused. What could she ask him to   
talk about if she knew nothing of his past? "Dr. Friskin   
thought you might have blocked out your memory because of   
Nightfall...."  
  
"Yeah, that's what she told me," he said. "I don't see how   
that could be it, though. I mean, I know about it. What   
difference does it make?"  
  
"That's what I'd like to know. It's not as if you could do   
anything about it."  
  
He stopped walking, abruptly and Lois turned in surprise to   
see him standing still, an odd expression on his face.   
"Charlie? Are you all right?"  
  
He rubbed his eyes. "Yeah, I think so."  
  
"What happened? You looked funny for a minute."  
  
He shook his head. "I don't know. When you said that, it   
was as if -- " He broke off.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I don't know. It was like I almost remembered and then I   
had this flash, like -- almost like something hit me."  
  
"What was it? Do you have any idea?"  
  
He shook his head. "Whatever it was, it's gone."  
  
Lois looked at him in silence for a long second. "Well,   
let's head back for the Planet -- no, wait. My apartment   
isn't that far away. I'd like to get a shower and a change   
of clothes, as long as there aren't any more riots going on   
by the park. Come on."  
  
Agreeable as always, he followed her, not speaking. What   
he might be thinking, Lois didn't try to guess. Her   
thoughts, however, were racing.  
  
What had happened at the instant Charlie stopped walking?   
Like most casual conversation, she couldn't quite recall.   
She glanced furtively at him as they walked along the   
sidewalk toward her apartment. She had said something --   
they had been talking about his memory loss in relation to   
the asteroid and she had made a remark about his not being   
able to do anything about it, anyway. He had almost   
remembered something and now he couldn't recall what it was   
-- as if his mind wouldn't let him remember. But that was   
crazy! What could one man do about an asteroid of that   
size -- even if he could get to it? I didn't make sense.  
  
But something about that conversation might have made sense   
-- for an instant -- to Charlie.  
  
**********  
  
The street in front of Lois's apartment house was quiet,   
but the rioters had been here. On both sides of the   
street, windows were smashed and the hulks of three burned-  
out cars lay on their sides on the pavement. The smell of   
smoke was heavy in the air.  
  
Her apartment house showed signs of the violence as well.   
The glass windows at the entrance had been broken but the   
door remained otherwise intact. In fact, it was locked and   
Lois had to fish out her key for only the second time in   
the five years she had lived there. When the door swung   
open, she led the way inside and jumped at the sight of a   
man with a shotgun in his hands, watching her narrowly.  
  
"Mr. Tracewski?"  
  
"Ms. Lane! Don't scare me like that!" The apartment   
manager lowered the weapon. "I think more hooligans are   
trying to break in!"  
  
"There's nobody out there, right now," Lois said.  
  
"I cannot reach the police and the television shows riots   
all over the city," Mr. Tracewski said. "I am taking no   
chances. Who is this?" He looked past her to Charlie, who   
was quietly relocking the door.  
  
"This is Charlie, a friend of mine," Lois explained. "He   
came along for protection. There *are* a few trouble spots   
still, but most of the rioting seems to be over -- at least   
for now."  
  
The manager of Lois's apartment house seemed to relax   
slightly. "Good. Then I go get some lunch. I worry about   
it tonight, instead. Be careful, Ms. Lane." He nodded to   
Charlie and disappeared down the hall, carrying his   
shotgun.  
  
Lois and Charlie looked at each other. "I guess this is   
what we have to look forward to if that thing in the sky   
hits," Charlie said, finally. "I don't think I like it."  
  
"You and me, both," Lois agreed. "Come on. I need to get   
that shower."  
  
"Are you sure you want me up there?" Charlie asked. "I   
mean, you don't really know me."  
  
"Come on," Lois said, again. "I think I've learned a lot   
about you since last night."  
  
"That's more than I have," Charlie muttered, but he   
followed her toward the elevator. "At least," he added as   
Lois punched the call button, "you're not on the first   
floor. You won't have rioters climbing in your windows."  
  
"I guess." The doors opened immediately at her signal and   
they stepped inside. "I never had to think much about it   
before. The way things have changed in just a couple of   
days is scary. And, it could get much worse."  
  
Charlie risked putting a hand on her arm. "If the worst   
happens, I won't let anything happen to you, if I can help   
it."  
  
She smiled at him. "Thanks, Charlie. You're a good   
person."  
  
In truth, she was a little surprised at her feeling for   
Charlie. She had known him for less than twenty-four hours   
and he was already becoming a friend in her estimation --   
someone she trusted with her safety. If she hadn't, she   
wouldn't be bringing him up to her apartment, that was   
certain. He might not have his memory, but the kind of   
person he was came through loud and clear. It was too bad,   
really, that she had only gotten to know him when the end   
of the world was looming over their heads. Charlie was   
someone she wished she had met a long time ago.  
  
**********   
  
Amazingly enough, there was hot water and she took the time   
to luxuriate in a long, hot shower. When she stepped out   
of her bedroom sometime later, she found Charlie watching   
the news on LNN.  
  
"Anything new?" she asked.  
  
"No. President Garner was just on, asking for people to   
stay in their homes and not to panic. He's 'confident'   
that the Asgard rocket will do its job."  
  
"Even if he wasn't, he wouldn't say so," Lois said. "I   
wish we had something else to back it up."  
  
"So do I." Charlie stood up. "Are you ready to go back to   
the Planet?"  
  
"Not yet. I thought maybe you'd like a chance to shower,   
too. You haven't since last night."  
  
He gave a sudden grin. "Are you saying I need to?"  
  
"Well -- "  
  
"Thanks, I'd appreciate it," he said. He ran a hand over   
the stubble that coated his chin. "I tried to shave this   
morning, but there was something wrong with the razor Jimmy   
gave me. I broke three blades."  
  
"Maybe the pack was defective," Lois reasoned. "I'm afraid   
the only one I have is an electric ladies' shaver. I don't   
think that would be something you'd want to use on your   
face. It's okay," she added daringly. "I think it makes   
you look sexy."  
  
Charlie turned slightly pink. "I'll go shower."  
  
**********   
  
Lois heard the shower come on a few minutes later. She   
glanced at the television and saw that the picture was one   
of wild confusion, while a voiceover informed her that the   
transmission was coming in from Spain, via satellite. A   
mob was surging through the streets of Madrid, smashing   
storefront windows, setting fires and overturning cars.   
Looters were running from stores, carrying away everything   
from television sets to bicycles and leaving chaos in their   
wake. There was no sign of the police. With a gesture of   
annoyance, she grabbed the remote control and shut it off.   
The last thing she needed to look at was more proof that   
humanity was losing its tenuous grip on civilization.   
Unable to stand the thoughts that generated, she turned and   
hurried into the kitchen to put on the coffeepot. It   
should be done by the time Charlie got out of the shower,   
she thought, deliberately turning her attention away from   
the destruction she had just witnessed.  
  
As she shoveled coffee into the machine, her mind returned   
to the instant that Charlie had swallowed the scalding   
coffee without a wince. Charlie was immune to heat and   
didn't know it. Was the immunity restricted to heat or did   
it extend beyond that? What had he said? He hadn't shaved   
because the razor had been defective. But what if the   
problem lay not with the razor but with Charlie?  
  
"Oh, come on, Lois," she murmured under her breath. "What   
are you thinking? If he couldn't shave, he'd have a beard   
down to his knees by now. He must be in his mid twenties,   
at least!"  
  
But the question wouldn't quite go away. How could a man   
be immune to heat? He wasn't a robot or anything. In the   
first place, she'd seen the prototypes of robots that were   
in the process of development at various centers of science   
and technology. They were marvels of mechanical and   
electronic engineering, that was certain, but they didn't   
look anywhere near human and, as far as she knew, science   
was years if not decades away from creating a robot that   
could pass for a human even from a distance. And besides,   
machines didn't grow beards. Okay then, barring science   
fiction scenarios, what was the explanation for Charlie?  
  
There simply wasn't any. At least, there wasn't one that   
she could think of. So, if Charlie defied explanations,   
then she might as well think of him as a miracle. You   
didn't have to explain miracles, and if that were true,   
then maybe the rest of it wasn't so far-fetched at all.  
  
She had been staring blankly at the coffeepot for some   
time, and the coffee was beginning to pour into the pot.   
At that instant, she heard the shower go off. Charlie   
would be back within minutes, and she was standing here   
staring at nothing like some kind of loon. Quickly, she   
turned to her cupboard and found two coffee mugs. She had   
noticed at lunch that he seemed to prefer real sugar in his   
coffee. Utilizing her kitchen's small step stool, she   
located her rarely used sugar bowl on the very top shelf of   
the tiny pantry, and discovered that it still contained   
some sugar.  
  
Closing the cupboard with one hand and holding the sugar   
container in the other, she stepped backward and her foot   
missed the step. She made a desperate effort to save   
herself. The container flew from her hand as she grabbed   
for support and the step stool tilted sideways. With an   
involuntary scream, she fell.  
  
A pair of powerful arms, beaded with moisture, caught her.   
Charlie's voice, sounding shaken, said, "Lois, are you all   
right?"  
  
She found that she was clasping him around the neck,   
tightly enough to strangle him. He set her feet gently on   
the floor and she realized suddenly that Charlie was   
dressed only in a towel wrapped around his waist. His   
powerful shoulders and chest were still damp and his hair   
was dripping. Somehow, she forced her arms to release him   
and managed to smile, albeit a little shakily.  
  
"Yeah -- yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." By the end of the   
sentence, she had her voice under control.  
  
"What happened?" he asked.  
  
"I missed a step." She glanced almost furtively at his   
muscular torso and quickly forced her gaze up to his face.   
Wow! Last night it had been dark and he'd been covered   
with soot, but at this moment, she couldn't imagine how   
she'd managed to miss just how good he looked.  
  
He glanced down at himself. "I guess I better go get   
dressed," he said quickly and was gone almost on the word.   
It was only then, once the distraction of his appearance   
had been removed and her brain began to function again,   
that she started to wonder.  
  
How had Charlie gotten there in time? There had been no   
more than a second or two at the most between her scream   
and the instant he caught her. It was obvious he'd barely   
stepped out of the shower; he hadn't even had time to dry   
his hair, and she couldn't imagine that he'd been on his   
way into the kitchen, dripping wet like that. Even if he'd   
had improper plans for her, he'd at least have dried off,   
first. Just how fast could Charlie move?  
  
By the time he returned to the kitchen, she had swept up   
the spilled sugar and her heart rate had returned to   
normal. His hair was still damp but had been combed   
severely into place and he was, naturally, still wearing   
the jeans and T-shirt with which Jimmy had supplied him   
last night. She set the whisk broom and dustpan back in   
the little closet. "I was going to offer you some coffee,   
but I guess I spilled the last of the sugar. Sorry."  
  
"That's all right. I'm just glad you're not hurt."  
  
"Charlie --" She hesitated to ask him about it, but she   
had to know. "Where were you when you heard me scream?"  
  
He shrugged. "In the bathroom. Why?"  
  
"I just wondered." Should she tell him? Would it help or   
hurt him? Lois didn't know and had no way to ask. Maybe   
Dr. Friskin could tell her if she posed the question in   
such a way as to avoid specifics. Dr. Friskin would   
undoubtedly think she needed psychotherapy if she were to   
tell the good doctor what was going through her head at   
this moment, but she really needed to know. Charlie wasn't   
ordinary; that was obvious to her, now. He had survived   
that fireball, wasn't burned by scalding coffee and now had   
demonstrated, all unknowing, that he could move far faster   
than a normal man should be able to move. It was   
inconceivable to her that his arrival was merely a   
coincidence. He had to be here for a reason and what   
better reason than to save them all from Nightfall? But   
something had gone wrong; something had happened to terrify   
him into the loss of his memory. What could it be?  
  
A suspicion was hovering in the back of her mind, one that   
she had so far regarded as out of any realm of possibility.   
There was still no explanation for the fact that Nightfall   
had been shattered. She cast a measuring glance at him.   
Was it possible? What had the fireball been? It couldn't   
have been a piece of Nightfall; that had already been   
established. But what if it had been a ship or something?   
A craft with its own system of propulsion could have gotten   
here ahead of the asteroid swarm.  
  
Wait a minute! What was she *thinking*? First it was   
supernatural agencies and angels and now it was little   
green men! She *must* be losing her grip on reality!   
Besides, there hadn't been any sign of a ship in the crater   
and Charlie looked pretty human to her, even with his   
unexplained abilities and admittedly impressive physique.   
He sure didn't look anything like the drawings of putative   
"aliens" from Roswell or somewhere. And yet....  
  
She turned off the coffeepot with a resigned sigh. "I   
guess I'll need to get some more sugar if you're going to   
be around for a while," she remarked. "I'll try to pick   
some up at a grocery store tonight, if any of them are   
open." She glanced at her watch. "I guess we'd better get   
back to the Planet. We've been gone nearly four hours."  
  
**********  
  
The street was still quiet when they left the apartment   
house, walking quickly. Here and there, Lois spotted brave   
souls hurrying along the sidewalk, looking around alertly.   
Most people were in pairs or small groups and they moved at   
a brisk pace, as if they were a little nervous about   
staying in one place for long.  
  
Somewhere, not far away, Lois could hear police sirens as   
well as the distinctive sounds of fire trucks and paramedic   
vehicles. For a moment, she debated the wisdom of making   
her way to the scene but decided against it. LNN was   
undoubtedly covering it from the air and, besides, what was   
one more end of the world demonstration? It wasn't as if   
it would do any good, and at present, they all seemed to be   
turning into riots anyway. If you'd seen one riot, you'd   
seen them all and she had better things to do with her   
time.  
  
"If we cut through the park here, it's ten minutes to the   
Planet," she said a few minutes later, gesturing to the   
little winding path that led through one of the most scenic   
sections of Centennial Park. In December, of course, most   
of the trees were bare of leaves but enough pines and   
evergreen hedges had been included in the landscaping that   
the park was still respectably green. "I was lucky to get   
a place this close to work. If my car is in the shop, I'm   
not stuck with public transportation."  
  
Charlie nodded. "I usually walk to work," he remarked and   
stopped, staring at Lois. "I remembered!"  
  
"Where do you work?" Lois asked, quickly.  
  
He was frowning. "I don't know. There was just that one   
bit. Do you suppose it means anything?"  
  
She shrugged. "It might be some kind of progress. You   
remembered flying over the meteorite crater in Arizona,   
too. At least, it means you're remembering a little. Does   
anything come to mind? I mean, what kind of work you might   
do or anything?"  
  
He shook his head. "I don't think so. I do seem to   
remember flying...maybe I'm a pilot."  
  
"Well -- there's a private field around here. Maybe we   
should go out there and look around. Besides, if you're a   
pilot, maybe someone at the field would recognize you."  
  
"That's a thought," he agreed. "Do you have the time to   
try it?"  
  
Lois made a face. "I don't see why not. The only news to   
cover right now is the riots and one riot looks pretty much   
like every other one. EPRAD isn't giving any more press   
conferences until tomorrow afternoon, just before they fire   
the Asgard rocket. I'll want to be there for that, of   
course."  
  
"Of course," Charlie agreed. "I wish I could be there,   
too. I feel like I'm missing out on all the important   
stuff. Think what a great story it will make if things go   
the way they're supposed to."  
  
Lois glanced at him, slightly puzzled. Why would Charlie   
sound so excited over a potential story? The only people   
who ever did that, in her estimation, were reporters and   
editors. Charlie seemed a bit too young to be an editor,   
unless it was one of those little one-horse rags in small   
town America. Was it possible he could be a reporter?  
  
Well, first things first. She could flounder around trying   
this and that in the way of jobs or she could go at it   
methodically. She'd follow the pilot thing first since it   
would be sunset, pretty soon. Maybe she could even get   
someone to take them up in a plane to let Charlie get a   
taste of flying. Then, she'd take him on a tour of the   
Daily Planet. Maybe he'd remember something. But, if he   
were here from -- well, somewhere else -- then, this   
wouldn't do any good.  
  
Again, she shook off the thought. Who really believed in   
flying saucers, after all? That was for those UFO flakes   
who congregated in Roswell every year, or went out in the   
desert and sent out signals, hoping to attract aliens. If   
a flying saucer ever actually arrived, they'd probably run   
screaming into the night.  
  
Charlie caught her arm suddenly, stopping stock still on   
the path. "Wait, Lois."  
  
"What's the matter?" she asked.  
  
"I hear something."  
  
She listened. The only sound was the occasional birdcall   
and the rustling of the breeze in the evergreens. "I don't   
hear anything."  
  
"There's somebody up there -- hiding in the bushes." His   
face was curiously intent. "Two people. I can hear them   
breathing. Let's go back."  
  
She opened her mouth to scoff and shut it again, with a   
snap. He had heard the riot last night before she had.   
Was this another manifestation of Charlie's differences or   
was he just hearing things?  
  
She didn't have time to wonder. As she started to turn at   
the urging of Charlie's insistent hand, two men in brand   
new but mismatched clothing, stepped onto the path.  
  
Judging by the types and condition of their clothing, she   
and Charlie were facing a pair of looters. One held a tire   
iron and the other hefted what looked like an ancient   
battleaxe. The only thing Lois could think of was that it   
must have come from someone's private collection of   
antiques, or possibly a museum. In any case, the men were   
advancing toward the two of them with a purposeful stride.   
Charlie shoved her behind him.  
  
"We don't want any trouble," he began.  
  
The man with the battleaxe grinned, showing a gap where one   
of his front teeth should have been. "That's too bad," he   
said. "'Cause trouble wants you. Gimme your wallets!"  
  
"I don't have a wallet," Charlie said.  
  
Lois said nothing. She had no intention of letting this   
pair have any clue that she might be more of a threat than   
she looked. As she had last night, she kicked off her high   
heels and let her handbag slide to the ground. She needed   
to be able to move freely and that didn't include teetering   
around unsteadily in a pair of shoes highly unsuited for   
the purpose. She made a promise to herself, however, that   
after this, until the current situation was past -- if it   
ever was -- she was not going walking in the open again,   
even with Charlie. As soon as they got back to the Planet,   
she was going to drive the Cherokee to the nearest gas   
station to fill the tank. And, she was going to change to   
flat shoes -- the kind with leather soles. Bare feet   
weren't nearly as effective if you had to kick someone.   
Too many persons were taking advantage of the current lack   
of adequate police presence for ordinary, law-abiding   
people to be out alone.  
  
The man with the tire iron was moving right, circling to   
come at them from the side, while Battleaxe came straight   
at Charlie, his weapon poised. Lois waited, her knees   
slightly bent. The last thing she needed was for Tire Iron   
to hit Charlie while he was trying to deal with Battleaxe.  
  
Sure enough, the two of them charged, together. Battleaxe   
leaped forward with a yell that would have done credit to   
any Viking warrior of old, swinging his weapon with the   
obvious intention of taking Charlie in the head, while Tire   
Iron lunged at him from the side. Lois didn't even have   
time to think. The training acquired in Tai Kwan Do class   
took over. She ducked low, caught the arm of the man   
swinging the tire iron and yanked it forward, at the same   
instant driving her hip into his thighs. It was one of the   
very elementary throws that had been taught in her martial   
arts classes, but it worked like a charm. Tire Iron went   
over her body with a yell of surprise and panic, to land   
hard on the path, flat on his back, with enough force to   
drive the air from his lungs. Behind her, she heard a   
clang and a flurry of motion. She yanked the tire iron   
from her attacker's suddenly nerveless fingers and spun   
around, fully expecting to see Battleaxe coming at her.  
  
But he wasn't. The ancient weapon was lying on the ground,   
its metal blade shattered in half a dozen pieces, and the   
man who had wielded it was fleeing from the scene as fast   
as his legs would carry him.  
  
"Are you all right?" Charlie asked.  
  
"Am *I* all right!" Lois burst out. "Are *you* all right?   
What happened?"  
  
Charlie rubbed his forehead tentatively and glanced at the   
ruined weapon. "I'm not sure, but I don't seem to be hurt.   
The axe broke. He hit me on the forehead but he must have   
got me with the flat of the blade instead of the edge.   
That was a close call, though."  
  
Tire Iron was coughing, hunched on the ground and trying to   
regain his breath. Lois took a step toward him,   
brandishing the tire iron. "Get out of here!" she said,   
menacingly.  
  
Unwilling to deal with superior force, the man hoisted   
himself unsteadily to his feet and staggered away, still   
coughing. Lois watched him go, not without a certain   
amount of regret. It would have been nice to hand him over   
to the police, but they didn't have any transportation to   
take the guy in, and the police were far too occupied with   
the current emergency to have time for lesser problems,   
anyway. After a moment, she turned back to Charlie and the   
broken battleaxe.  
  
"Come on," she said, her voice beginning to shake. "Let's   
get out of here."  
  
"You better get your shoes," Charlie said. "You'll ruin   
your nylons."  
  
"I think they're already ruined," Lois muttered, stooping   
to retrieve the articles. Charlie gave her a hand for   
balance while she slipped the shoes back on, and as she   
straightened up, he picked up her handbag.  
  
"Here."  
  
"Thanks." She regarded the tire iron thoughtfully. "You   
know, I think I'll hang onto this until we're out of the   
park. You never know when you might need it, now."  
  
"That's for sure," Charlie said, with surprising vehemence.   
"You were great, Lois."  
  
"I told you last night that I studied karate," she reminded   
him. "In my job, it's turned out to be a pretty handy   
thing to know, every now and then."  
  
"I can see that," he said, admiringly. "I'm impressed."  
  
"Thanks." She glanced around. "Let's get out in the open   
again. I won't feel safe until I can see everything around   
me."  
  
"I'll go along with that," Charlie said. "Come on."  
  
They walked along in silence, each alert for trouble, but   
the incident had given Lois considerable new fodder for   
consideration.  
  
Charlie thought Battleaxe had hit him with the flat of the   
blade but before she had turned to deal with Tire Iron, she   
had seen the thing coming straight for his head, edge-  
first. The axe had hit him and shattered into fragments,   
leaving him unscathed. Just as the knife last night hadn't   
cut him and the razor had broken when he tried to shave,   
the battleaxe had come away second best. Charlie couldn't   
be hurt -- at least, not by any ordinary weapon.  
  
There was no longer any possibility that this was all a   
figment of her imagination. Whatever Charlie might be, he   
wasn't an ordinary man.  
  
So, if he wasn't an ordinary man, what was he?  
  
**********  
  
Lois wasn't sure what she expected when they reached the   
end of the parkland and emerged onto the street again. The   
Daily Planet was only a few minutes' brisk walk away but   
the sidewalk, usually swarming with people late in the   
afternoon, was almost deserted.  
  
"It's like a ghost town," she murmured.  
  
Charlie didn't answer but she saw that he was biting his   
lip. Determinedly, she started toward the Planet with a   
businesslike stride. "The first thing we're going to do is   
gas up the Jeep," she said. "Then we're going to head for   
the airfield. We need to find out who you are."  
  
"Does it matter?" he asked. "I don't see why I should be   
so important, with all the rest that's happening."  
  
"Yes, it's important," Lois said. "If you have family,   
they're probably worried sick about you. They'll probably   
need you, too, if that thing hits us. It's going to kill   
an awful lot of people and make it hard for everyone who   
survives to get by afterwards." She nearly blurted out the   
rest, but at the last minute decided not to. If he thought   
she was crazy, it wouldn't help the situation. "If you   
have a wife, or kids -- or even just parents -- they'll   
want to know that you're alive."  
  
"I know," he said. "But the Asgard rocket will get it --   
I'm sure of that." He said it as if he was trying to   
reassure himself as much as her.  
  
"I hope you're right," she said. "The sheet they handed   
out to us at the press conference yesterday said that   
they're launching it tomorrow afternoon. It should   
intercept Nightfall inside the moon's orbit. If it misses,   
we'll only have a few hours to wait."  
  
"It won't miss," Charlie said.  
  
"I hope not." Lois waited for the WALK signal and stepped   
off the curb.  
  
"Well, they program trajectories for the Mars probes and so   
forth," Charlie pointed out. "They've got to be pretty   
accurate or the probes would never get where they're   
supposed to."  
  
"True, but do you remember the Mars probe that they lost   
because one programmer used English measurements and the   
other used metric?"  
  
"They *did*?" Charlie looked appalled.  
  
"They sure did. People make mistakes -- especially when   
they're under a lot of stress. I just hope no one makes   
any mistakes this time. They've only got one shot."  
  
She watched him process that and for a moment, a qualm   
assaulted her. If Charlie had come to save them and he'd   
lost his ship, somehow, all she was doing was upsetting him   
unnecessarily. But, she reminded herself, there had been   
no sign of a ship in the crater. Maybe he'd bailed out, or   
something. And even if this was somehow all her   
imagination, the rest of what she said was true. If   
Charlie had a family, they had to be going crazy wondering   
where he was and what had happened to him. Besides, he   
seemed to be awfully sure, all of a sudden, that the Asgard   
rocket would save them. If his memory was gone because he   
was afraid of Nightfall, he might be repressing who and   
what he was so he wouldn't have to deal with the huge   
asteroid. She didn't know much about psychology. She'd   
only taken one semester of it in college to fill in credits   
in some category or other, but it seemed to make sense.   
Maybe if he weren't so sure about the success of the Asgard   
rocket, he'd be more likely to remember something. At   
least, she hoped so.  
  
They continued on toward the Planet, walking briskly. Not   
many cars were on the street. Lois had never seen downtown   
Metropolis so empty. The security guard in the lobby gave   
her a hard look as she and Charlie entered via the   
revolving door and then relaxed. "Oh, hello, Ms. Lane.   
Mr. White will be glad to know you're back. He's had me   
watching for you."  
  
"Perry was worried about me?" Lois asked.  
  
"Well, sure. There was a riot over on fifth and -- "  
  
"Yeah, we heard it," Lois said. "We also almost got mugged   
in the park, but Charlie chased off the guy with the   
battleaxe."  
  
The guard did a double take. "Did you say a battleaxe?"  
  
Lois nodded. "I've had enough close calls for one day.   
Charlie and I are going to get my car and drive over to the   
Metro Airfield. Could you tell Perry for me, Bill?"  
  
"Sure, Ms. Lane." The man shook his head. "Things are   
getting worse by the hour out there."  
  
"Tell me about it. We should be back in a couple of hours.   
Come on, Charlie."  
  
**********  
  
The gas station where she usually filled up the Jeep was   
closed and so was its competitor directly across the   
street. It took nearly half an hour to locate an open   
station, a small, shabby independent one, several miles   
from the airfield. Lois glanced at the rates and her jaw   
almost dropped. "That's highway robbery!"  
  
Charlie shrugged. "I guess the owner's charging what the   
market will pay. He's kind of got us over a barrel."  
  
"Yeah, well, if the Asgard rocket succeeds, I'm writing an   
expose of this place," Lois muttered, darkly. She pulled   
up to a pump. "Talk about price gouging!"  
  
However, since the Cherokee was more than three-quarters   
empty, she filled the tank and paid the staggering price   
demanded by the owner. They turned out onto the street   
again and Lois switched on the radio.  
  
Radio LNN was on, reporting the latest on the Nightfall   
Asteroid and the progress with the Asgard rocket. It was   
all ready to go, according to EPRAD. All that was needed   
was their launch window, which was scheduled for   
approximately eighteen hours from now. Professor Daitch,   
the head astronomer for the space agency, expressed   
confidence in the prospects for a successful resolution to   
the current difficulty.  
  
"'Difficulty'!" Lois snorted. "They talk about it as if   
some general misplaced his dress uniform! The whole world   
is at stake here!"  
  
"I hope he's right, though," Charlie said. He sounded less   
sure of himself, now than he had a short time ago. "If the   
asteroid hits, what's happened today will be nothing to   
what it's like afterwards. It's just *got* to work!"  
  
"That's for sure," Lois said. She glanced around as they   
approached the entrance to the parkway. "I've never seen   
the streets so empty. Everyone must be home, watching the   
television for news bulletins or something."  
  
"I guess most people figure that if the end of the world is   
coming, they'd rather be with their families," Charlie   
said.  
  
"Most would," Lois said.  
  
"But, how about you?" Charlie asked, clearly concerned.   
"You're spending all your time trying to help me. What   
about your family?"  
  
"You don't want to know about my family," Lois said.  
  
Charlie didn't answer. Lois guided the Jeep onto the   
parkway entrance.  
  
The parkway was as empty as the surface streets had been.   
It required no skill at all to merge into traffic; there   
was no traffic to speak of, at all. Charlie still hadn't   
spoken.  
  
"Sorry," Lois said, at last, feeling slightly guilty. "My   
mom and dad are divorced and my sister dropped out of   
college a few months ago and ran off to California to   
'find' herself."  
  
"Oh." Charlie looked a little uncomfortable. "Sorry I   
asked."  
  
"It's all right," Lois said. "We haven't been a real   
family for a long time. I'd rather help you than sit   
around just waiting."  
  
"Well, I appreciate it." Charlie bit his lip. "I have   
this funny feeling, you know -- as if there's something   
else I should be doing, but I don't know what it is. It's   
frustrating."  
  
Lois nodded without saying anything. Underneath, she   
suppressed a small surge of hope. If Charlie's conscience   
was beginning to prod him, maybe he would overcome whatever   
was keeping his memory from surfacing. Maybe he would   
begin to remember. On the other hand, fear was a powerful   
emotion. If her wild ideas were anywhere near right, it   
might be that if he regained his memory, he would be driven   
to act even at the cost of his own life. His subconscious   
might be trying to prevent that. She wished that she knew   
more about the subject. All the pop psychology she had   
absorbed over the years might not be based in reality; on   
the other hand, if she remembered anything from her   
psychology class in college, a lot of those theories were   
really out there too, so maybe not all official psychology   
was based in reality, either.  
  
The Metro Airfield was actually a private airfield for   
small planes, set on the outskirts of Metropolis. They   
left the parkway at Aero Drive and Lois turned onto the   
narrow, graveled road that led to the north where the field   
had been built at some distance from housing developments   
or businesses. This was farmland, and around them were   
open fields where nothing grew, at least so far. In three   
or four months, with the coming of spring, they would be   
carefully cultivated and turning green as tiny plants began   
to show. Lois had no idea what might be grown here, but   
Charlie gazed out the window with a certain amount of   
interest.  
  
"What kind of crops do they plant here?" he inquired.  
  
"I don't know. Luthor Agricultural owns the land," she   
said. "Lex Luthor is a multi-billionaire who lives in   
Metropolis. He's supposed to be the second or third   
richest man in the world and has his finger in all kinds of   
business. I've been trying to get an interview with him   
for ages but he dodges personal interviews like poison."  
  
"I guess I can understand that," Charlie said. "Somebody   
like him would have every journalist or publicity seeker --   
or just plain con man -- after him constantly."  
  
"Oh, I know," Lois said. "Still, it's frustrating. I'm   
determined to get the first one-on-one interview with him -  
- or I was. If Nightfall hits, it won't matter, anyway."  
  
"Yeah," Charlie said. "I guess things like money won't   
mean anything if that happens."  
  
They fell silent for a time. Lois had been forced to slow   
the Cherokee to traverse the gravel road. She glanced at   
the sinking sun, realizing that they had taken more time   
than she had expected to find a gas station. It was going   
to be after dark before she and Charlie got back to   
Metropolis.  
  
"Where's the air field?" Charlie asked, after a while.  
  
"About ten miles farther down the road, I think," Lois   
said. "The owner bought land at a distance from any   
housing so he wouldn't have to deal with irritated   
neighbors. I interviewed him a few years ago when they put   
in the airport," she added, by way of explanation.   
"Eventually, of course, the developers will build houses   
right up to the edge of his airfield and then the   
homeowners will start complaining about airport noise, and   
he'll have to move, but that's a few years away, yet."  
  
"Why would anyone buy a house right next to an airfield?"   
Charlie asked. "It doesn't seem fair that he'd have to   
move because people moved in, knowing that the airfield was   
there first."  
  
"It guess it isn't, really," Lois agreed. "But, since when   
does that have anything to do with it?"  
  
"I guess not," Charlie said. "Still, it doesn't seem   
right."  
  
Lois had never previously considered the idea, but had to   
agree in principle. She had discovered since meeting him   
that Charlie had a way of looking at things that made her   
think about them in a way she hadn't before. It was too   
bad, she thought again, that she hadn't met him sooner. He   
might have been good for her as a journalist, if nothing   
else. Coming up with new ways of looking at things was   
important. As she had been told many times, there were no   
new stories, only new angles. Being able to look at things   
from those new angles brought freshness to a journalist's   
writing. Charlie seemed to have a knack for making her do   
just that. He would have made a good reporter, she   
thought, for the second time that day.  
  
It was another fifteen minutes before they saw a sign   
announcing the Metro Airfield a mile ahead. Lois glanced   
at Charlie. "Does anything look familiar?"  
  
He shook his head. "I'm afraid not."  
  
"We're probably on the wrong track," Lois said. "Still,   
since you remember flying, it's something we should check   
out, anyway. I hope Mac is here."  
  
"Mac?"  
  
"Mac Fergusen. He's the owner. There's the turnoff."   
Lois took the gravel road to the left. A few minutes   
later, the fence that surrounded the airfield came into   
view.  
  
The sun was swimming on the horizon, and the sky above it   
was red with the colors of sunset. Small, fluffy pink and   
gold clouds speckled the western sky and the landscape   
around them had a rosy cast. Lois drove through the gate   
and turned toward the manager's office.  
  
The shades were closed but light leaked around the edges,   
so someone was probably there -- especially since the gate   
had been open. They pulled to a stop in one of the parking   
spaces and she cut the engine. "Shall we go?"  
  
Charlie shrugged. "I guess. It doesn't look as if   
business is very good today."   
  
"Well, let's go see." She opened the door and got out.  
  
The first reaction to Lois's knock on the door of the   
manager's office was a dead silence. Then, she could hear   
the sound of footsteps crossing the floor inside. There   
was a pause. At last, the door opened a few inches and the   
man she recognized as Mac Fergusen peeked out. "Yeah? Can   
I help you?"  
  
"I'm Lois Lane, Mr. Fergusen," Lois said, quickly. "I   
interviewed you for the Daily Planet when you first opened   
the airfield a couple of years ago."  
  
Slowly, the door opened wider. "I remember," Fergusen   
said. "How are you, Ms. Lane?" He glanced past her at   
Charlie. "Who's your friend?"  
  
"We're not sure," Lois said. "Could we come in and   
explain?"  
  
Fergusen hesitated. "I guess. I haven't had any real   
customers all day -- just a couple of weirdoes wantin' to   
skywrite stuff about the end of the world. None o' my   
skywritin' pilots showed up for work today, though. This   
business with the asteroid is making people crazy, I   
think." He stood back and held the door open. "C'mon in."  
  
Lois entered the cluttered little office with Charlie on   
her heels. Fergusen waved to a couple of chairs with one   
hand and the coffee machine with the other. "Help   
yourselves if you want some coffee. What can I do for   
you?"  
  
"Well, you were kind of a long shot," Lois admitted. "This   
is Charlie -- at least we're calling him that for lack of   
anything better. Did you read the Daily Planet today?"  
  
Fergusen nodded. "Yeah, I picked one up on the way here,   
this morning. Why?"  
  
"Well, Charlie is the man I found in the crater the   
fireball made in Centennial Park. He can't remember who he   
is, but he says he remembers flying. I thought he might be   
a pilot or something. We came out here to see if somebody   
might recognize him."  
  
"Hmm." Mac Fergusen surveyed Charlie thoughtfully. "Can't   
say as I do...say, you know who you look like?"  
  
Charlie shook his head. "No."  
  
"That was a dumb question, wasn't it?" Mac grinned and   
smacked his forehead lightly with one hand. "About four   
months ago, we had a plane nearly crash here -- one of   
those private jets, you know? The whole thing was as close   
to a miracle as I ever hope to see. Lightning hit the   
plane and the pilot had to bring it in without any landing   
gear. Somehow, he managed to land without a scratch, even   
though the runway was too short for a jet. Nobody here saw   
it until it was practically on the ground, 'cause it was   
out on the farthest runway, and the guy's radio was knocked   
out, too. He said it seemed like he lost control of the   
thing the last few minutes, as if some kind of unknown   
force had taken over from the outside. Everybody figured   
the pilot must have landed the plane by pure instinct.   
Anyway, there was this guy who showed up and hauled out the   
passengers while the crew was putting out the engine fire.   
Nobody could find him later but I got a good look at him   
when he handed this little kid down to me -- daughter of   
the plane's owner, it turned out. I remembered him later,   
'cause of the weirdness of the whole thing and the way he   
just appeared outta nowhere and then disappeared later   
without a trace. It was in your paper, Ms. Lane."  
  
Lois vaguely remembered the incident. She hadn't paid much   
attention to it because by the time the story was told, the   
excitement was over. The Hollywood producer who owned the   
plane had issued a short statement and ducked the media, of   
course, and the whole incident had been quickly   
overshadowed by other news. "And Charlie looks like this   
person?"  
  
"Kind of," Mac said. "He wore glasses, though -- a pair of   
horn-rimmed glasses -- and his hair was a little longer in   
the back. I came face to face with him for just a minute.   
Then later, when they were tryin' to find him to thank him,   
he'd disappeared."  
  
"But you don't have any idea who he was?" Lois asked.  
  
Mac shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Your friend here   
sort of looks like him, except for the hair and the   
glasses. And the five o'clock shadow, of course." He   
glanced at Charlie. "You don't wear glasses, do you?"  
  
Charlie shrugged. "I don't think so. I seem to see all   
right without glasses."  
  
"Guess you're not the same guy, then." Mac gave an   
eloquent shrug. "Sorry I can't help you, Ms. Lane."  
  
Lois sighed. "Well, it was a shot. Would you mind showing   
Charlie what the  
inside of a cockpit looks like--just to see if he   
recognizes anything?"  
  
"Sure. No problem." Mac set down his coffee cup. "I've   
got one in for repairs  
in the maintenance shed. Follow me."  
  
**********  
  
The sun was down by the time they returned to the Jeep.   
Mac Fergusen waved goodbye to them in a friendly fashion   
and followed them out to lock the airfield's gate behind   
them. Lois glanced at the fading colors of the sunset and   
switched on her headlights. "It's going to be dark before   
we get back to the parkway."  
  
"We probably shouldn't have come," Charlie said. "We   
didn't find anything out."  
  
"It was worth the shot," Lois said, noncommittally. "Even   
if you didn't  
recognize anything, it doesn't mean you're not a pilot. It   
could mean that  
you don't remember." She didn't elaborate on her other   
thoughts. The story Mac had told about the unidentified   
man who looked like Charlie stuck in her mind. Was it   
possible? But if the stranger had been Charlie, then he'd   
been here four months ago. At the same time, a seeming   
miracle had occurred. It was something to think about.   
How could the pilot have landed a plane successfully on a   
runway that was too short for a jet -- a jet with no   
landing gear, she reminded herself -- with no more damage   
than had already been done by the lightning strike? On the   
face of it, it was impossible. But, then, so were a lot of   
things that had happened in the past twenty-four hours,   
ever since she'd met Charlie. Somehow, she was sure that   
the mystery man had been her new friend and that he'd also   
been responsible for saving that plane. How he might have   
done it, she didn't know but if he had, it would be   
consistent with the other things she'd seen today. Did   
Charlie have some kind of invisible ship or something? Had   
he grabbed the plane with tractor beams like on Star Trek?   
Or was he really an angel, after all? Did an angel grow a   
beard?  
  
When she got back to the Planet, as soon as she could get   
hold of Jimmy, she was going to have him run a computer   
search of strange happenings like this one. If Charlie had   
been around for very long, it might explain some otherwise   
unexplainable things. She was going to need to gather a   
lot of evidence if she was going to convince Charlie, but   
if she could bring back his memory, it might be worth it.  
  
"Um...Lois?" Charlie's voice interrupted the stream of   
thoughts. "Aren't your headlights supposed to be brighter   
than that?"  
  
The question brought her attention to the gravel road in   
front of them. Charlie was right. Her headlights were dim   
and getting dimmer, and on her dashboard, one of the idiot   
lights was blinking warningly. Experimentally, she turned   
them off and back on again, but they were no brighter than   
before. Flipping on the high beams didn't help. The high   
lights were dim and caused her engine to sputter   
alarmingly.  
  
"Better stop a minute," Charlie said. "It looks like you   
have a battery problem."  
  
The advice was unnecessary. Like snapping a switch, her   
engine went silent and the headlights faded out.  
  
"Oh, great," Lois said. "Now, what do we do?"  
  
She guided the rolling vehicle to a stop near the edge of   
the road, but mindful of the ditches that ran along both   
sides of the gravel-covered thoroughfare, she didn't dare   
pull too far to the right. The brakes and power steering   
were sluggish without the help of the engine, but she   
wrestled the suddenly clumsy vehicle to a safe stop, set   
the parking brake and automatically turned off the   
ignition. For a moment, neither of them said anything but   
Lois was thinking a number of things, none of them   
pleasant.  
  
They were stuck out in the middle of nowhere. The airfield   
was ten or fifteen miles behind them and besides, it was   
closed by now. Mac Ferguson had been closing up when they   
left. The city was at least as far away, and she had no   
way to call for help -- even if the condition of the jammed   
telephone lines were, by some miracle, kind enough to let a   
call through. And, it was distinctly dark. Only the   
slightest trace of the colors of sunset remained in the   
western sky. She had forgotten how very dark the night   
was, away from the city lights.  
  
Charlie's face was only dimly visible beside her. He had   
turned toward her, and she could see his eyes glowing   
faintly in the darkness.  
  
"I don't suppose," he said, "that you carry a cellular   
phone."  
  
Lois shook her head and then realized he probably couldn't   
see it. "No. Perry's been trying to get approval for the   
Planet to supply cell phones for its reporters but so far,   
he hasn't been able to talk them into it. All I have is a   
pager. Besides, even if I did, we probably couldn't get   
the call through. All the lines have been jammed ever   
since people found out about the asteroid."  
  
"You're probably right. Do you know of any gas stations   
around here? I could probably hike over and get some   
help."  
  
"I think the nearest place is the airfield," Lois said,   
unhappily. "There might be a gas station along the   
parkway, somewhere, but I don't know where."  
  
"And the parkway's a good distance, too," Charlie said.   
She saw him turn to look back at the dark road that   
stretched behind them. "We better get this thing off the   
road. I'd hate to have somebody run into us in the dark."  
  
"I couldn't pull any farther right," Lois said. "There's a   
ditch over there."  
  
"I know. But there's a place right there about thirty feet   
ahead of us where the shoulder's pretty wide." She could   
see his dim figure raise an arm to point at some spot in   
the darkness, well beyond her range of vision. "See what I   
mean? If I can push the car to that, at least we won't   
risk somebody crashing into us."  
  
"Are you sure? I can't see a thing."  
  
"You can't?" Charlie was clearly surprised. "It's not   
that dark. There's plenty of starlight. The moon should   
be up pretty soon, too."  
  
"Well, maybe, but I can't see anything," Lois said.  
  
"Maybe you need to eat more carrots," Charlie said. "Look,   
I'll push the car over there. Just make sure the brake is   
off and the steering wheel isn't locked. I can steer if I   
push from the left door side."  
  
Lois nodded and watched as he opened the passenger door.   
Against the faintly lighter background of the sky, she   
could see him cross in front of the Jeep and turned the key   
in the ignition to unlock the steering wheel. It was kind   
of spooky, she thought as she rolled down the window and   
watched him approach her side of the car. He seemed bigger   
than he had by daylight, and she didn't know him very   
well...but, somehow, she couldn't be afraid of Charlie.  
  
He leaned in the window and grasped the steering wheel with   
his right hand, bracing his left against the window frame.   
"You better take off the brake and put it in neutral."  
  
She'd forgotten the brake, she thought. Charlie must   
indeed have good night sight to have been able to see that   
in the darkness of the car's interior. At once she shifted   
into neutral and released the emergency brake.  
  
The Jeep started to roll backward. They were on a slight   
incline, she realized, stepping on the foot brake. Charlie   
was never going to be able to push her heavy SUV thirty   
feet forward to the spot he'd described. She opened her   
mouth to say so when Charlie threw his weight into the job   
and to her surprise, she felt the Cherokee begin to move.  
  
Belatedly, she removed her foot from the brake, watching   
him alertly, now. The Jeep rolled forward easily and   
Charlie didn't even seem to be working particularly hard as   
he pushed it up the slight incline toward the spot he had   
chosen.  
  
Surreptitiously, Lois put her foot back on the brake.   
Charlie didn't seem to notice. The Cherokee continued it's   
steady progress without the slightest change in speed.  
  
Feeling slightly ashamed of herself, she removed her foot   
from the brake pedal. Finally, Charlie guided the vehicle   
off the gravel road, onto the grass of the shoulder, and   
stopped.  
  
"You can put on the brake," he said.  
  
Quickly, Lois put the Cherokee in "park" and pulled the   
emergency brake. Charlie, she noted, wasn't even breathing   
hard.  
  
"That was amazing," she said.  
  
"What was?"  
  
"The way you did that. This isn't exactly a light car.   
You must be a lot stronger than you look."  
  
"Maybe I work out," he said, without much interest. "Why   
don't you pop the hood? I'd like to take a look and see if   
I can figure out what's wrong."  
  
"Okay." She obeyed and reached across to open the glove   
compartment. "Here's the flashlight."  
  
"That's okay," he said. "It's light enough without it."   
He walked around to the front of the Cherokee and raised   
the hood. Lois opened the door and got out. She'd never   
seen a man repair an engine in near pitch-blackness. This   
was something she wanted to watch.  
  
It was so dark under the hood of the Jeep that she could   
barely see the outline of his profile as he bent over the   
engine. Could his eyes possibly be *that* good? Could   
anyone's? Even cats didn't have that kind of sight in the   
dark -- did they?  
  
"I think I see the problem," Charlie said, after a moment.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"It looks to me like the belt to your alternator must have   
broken. It's gone. After that happened, your battery   
wasn't being charged anymore and when you used up its   
charge, that was it. Once you get a new alternator belt   
and charge the battery, your car should be all right."  
  
"Gee, that's a lot of comfort," Lois said, unable to   
suppress a touch of sarcasm. "Where am I going to find an   
alternator belt in the middle of nowhere at this hour?"  
  
"Well," Charlie said, uncertainly, "we could walk up the   
road and hope there's a gas station somewhere around."  
  
"There probably is -- somewhere," Lois said, relenting. "I   
don't know about you, though, but I'm not about to set off   
blindly in the dark, looking for a gas station that may be   
miles away. Especially now."  
  
"Yeah, I guess you have a point," Charlie said. "Well, if   
we stay here, I guess we'll probably be okay until morning   
-- and it's always possible there'll be a police patrol   
around here sometime during the night."  
  
"In this place?" Lois said. "While they're dealing with   
riots and end-of-the-world nuts and everything? I think   
this area is probably pretty low on their list of   
priorities."  
  
"You're probably right," Charlie agreed. "I'm sorry,   
Lois."  
  
Immediately, she felt that touch of guilt again. The guy   
was only trying to help, after all. She didn't stop to   
wonder why she felt guilty, when any other guy, except   
possibly her boss, would have been fair game for a dose of   
withering scorn. Mad Dog Lane, as she had heard some of   
her co-workers call her when they thought she wasn't   
listening, normally had little use for men in general and   
none at all if one of them was foolish enough to make   
useless suggestions of any kind in her presence.  
  
"It's okay, Charlie. It's not your fault." She moved back   
while he slammed the hood shut. "I guess we should get   
back in the car. I'm cold."  
  
It was hardly warmer in the Jeep. Without the engine to   
operate the heater, it was bound to get even colder by   
morning and her jacket wasn't big enough to act as much of   
a blanket. All the same, she buttoned it up to her chin   
and folded her arms over her chest.  
  
"Are you still cold?" Charlie asked.  
  
"A little," Lois said. Her feet, attired only in nylons   
and high-heeled shoes were distinctly chilly.  
  
Charlie turned to look into the back of the Cherokee. "You   
don't keep a car blanket in here, by any chance, do you?"  
  
She shook her head, figuring that he'd be able to see her   
motion and wrapped her arms around her ribcage. "Aren't   
you cold?"  
  
"No."  
  
It figured, she thought. "Charlie, don't you think that's   
a little strange?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"It's winter. You're running around without even a jacket   
and you aren't cold."  
  
"I hadn't thought about it. Why?"  
  
"Because you should be cold. Anyone else would be."  
  
Out of the dark, his voice sounded genuinely puzzled. "I   
don't understand."  
  
She laughed a little. "I don't either, really, but there's   
something different about you. I've been noticing ever   
since last night."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well -- to start with, where I found you in the crater.   
The ground was *hot* -- even where you were lying. I found   
those glasses right where I saw you. The frames were   
completely melted. You should have been burned at least a   
little and you weren't even singed, even though your   
clothes were completely burned off. Do you have any   
explanation for that?"  
  
"Um -- dumb luck?" He sounded slightly embarrassed.  
  
"I don't think so, but even if it was, a few minutes later   
when those two muggers came after us, you grabbed one man's   
knife by the blade and broke it. You weren't even cut. Do   
you have any idea why?"  
  
"More luck?"  
  
"The next day -- in the restaurant -- I noticed something   
else. The coffee was steaming. I touched your cup and it   
was really hot. But you didn't feel it."  
  
He looked puzzled. "Yes, I did. It just wasn't that hot."  
  
"You mean, it didn't feel that hot to *you*. There's a   
difference."  
  
He frowned at her. "You're saying I'm somehow immune to   
the heat?"  
  
"I'm not sure. But it might explain how you were lying in   
that burning crater and didn't even pick up a slight scorch   
-- even though your clothes evidently burned off." She   
shrugged. "I know it sounds really strange -- impossible,   
really. But it would sure make sense of all the   
contradictions."  
  
"But it's not possible," he said, patiently. "How could I   
be immune to fire -- or heat?"  
  
"I have no idea," she said, honestly. "But it wasn't just   
that."  
  
"There's more?" He sounded slightly amused.  
  
"Yes," Lois said, determinedly. "There is. When I fell   
off the footstool at my apartment -- you heard me scream   
and were there to catch me. Charlie, it was barely a   
second or so after I screamed that you got there. You   
couldn't have moved that fast if you were an ordinary guy,   
no matter how hard you tried."  
  
He didn't answer. Lois plowed on. "Then, in the park -- I   
saw that guy swinging the battleaxe at your head, edge-on.   
You should have been killed but instead, the axe   
shattered."  
  
"But --"  
  
"And just now, there were two other things. You can see   
clearly enough in the dark that you could figure out what   
was wrong with the Jeep -- but it's pitch black under the   
hood. There's nothing wrong with my eyes and I couldn't   
see a thing."  
  
"And the last thing?" His voice sounded subdued.  
  
"You pushed my Jeep uphill for at least thirty feet, all by   
yourself. Nobody is that strong -- except you."  
  
"It wasn't that heavy," he protested weakly.  
  
"Take it from me, it is. This is not some small, foreign   
car -- it's an SUV and it's pretty solid. You're a lot   
stronger than an ordinary man, Charlie. And now, of   
course, you're not a bit cold, and believe me, I am. It's   
probably about thirty-five or forty degrees out there, and   
not much more in here. My feet are freezing." She reached   
out to touch his arm. "Charlie, there's something special   
about you. I don't understand it but there is. I might be   
mistaken about one or two things but not all of them."  
  
For at least two or three minutes, he didn't answer but   
finally, he spoke. "What do you think it is?"  
  
"I don't know." She answered honestly. "When we get back   
to civilization, I'd like to test it, though."  
  
"Hey, I'm not going to stick my finger into boiling water   
just to see if it hurts," he said, only half-humorously.  
  
"I think we can run a test without going that far," she   
said. "Charlie, I don't think it's just temperature,   
either. I don't think that you can be hurt -- at least by   
ordinary means. Something pretty horrific must have   
happened to you to make you lose your memory like this."  
  
He didn't answer at once and more seconds rolled by.  
  
"What do you think it was?" he asked, at last.  
  
"Honestly? I think it had something to do with the   
fireball."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I don't know. I've got some pretty wild theories."  
  
"They can't be any wilder than this thing about me." His   
voice still sounded subdued. "If you're right, I'm some   
kind of freak. Maybe I should join a circus, somewhere.   
I'd be a sensation as 'the fireproof man'."  
  
"Don't be silly!" she said, sharply. "You're no freak. If   
anything, you're a miracle."  
  
"I don't know about that. A man who can't be hurt, who's   
faster than a bullet and strong as a bull sounds like a   
freak to me."  
  
"Charlie, you're no freak!" she said, again. "If nothing   
else, you're my friend!"  
  
"You're a reporter," he said. "Aren't you going to write   
about me?"  
  
Lois was appalled. "Charlie, no! I don't betray friends!"   
She broke off, realizing what she was saying. She was a   
journalist: she owed it to the public to tell them about   
somebody like Charlie but betraying a friend went against   
the grain, no matter how much her journalistic instincts   
tempted her to tell the world about him. After all, how   
many real friends did she have?  
  
There was Perry, of course. He was her friend as well as   
her boss, at least as much as he could be. She had the   
distinct feeling that he regarded her as the daughter he'd   
never had and almost treated her as such but could she name   
any others? There had been Linda King, who had stabbed her   
in the back over a man. There had been Molly Flynn in   
college, but they had drifted apart after Molly had begun   
dating Ryan Wiley, whom Lois couldn't stand. And, of   
course, there had been Claude, whom she never spoke of to   
anyone. Did she even have any other real friends except   
Charlie, a man without his memory, who had somehow become a   
friend in twenty-four hours without even trying?  
  
"Charlie, I won't write about you if you don't want me to,"   
she said, silently telling temptation to take a hike. "I   
don't do things like that to my friends. Besides, if the   
Nightfall Asteroid hits us, there probably won't even be a   
Daily Planet to publish a story about you or anything   
else." She reached out and found his hand. "I promise.   
Whatever we find out about you is safe with me."  
  
He squeezed her hand gently. "Thank you."  
  
Silence descended on the Cherokee. It was getting colder,   
and she felt herself starting to shiver. Lois pulled her   
jacket more tightly around her shoulders and clenched her   
teeth to stop them from chattering.  
  
Quite suddenly, Charlie spoke. "Lois, you're shivering."  
  
"I'm okay," she said, trying to keep the quiver out of her   
voice.  
  
"No, you're not. You're cold, even if I'm not. Look, I   
promise I won't try anything. Climb over here. If you   
huddle up against me, it'll help keep you warm."  
  
She hesitated, but the shivering was getting more intense   
every moment. Slowly, she obeyed. "You promise -- no   
funny business?"  
  
"You have my word," Charlie said, his voice sounding both   
solemn and conversely amused at the same time. "No funny   
business."  
  
"Well...okay." Avoiding the gearshift, she slid over into   
the passenger seat. It was definitely a cozy arrangement,   
she thought. The Cherokee's seats were roomy but with both   
of them, there wasn't much space left to spare. He turned   
slightly in the seat so she could lean against his chest   
and cautiously put his arms around her.  
  
"Is this better?"  
  
"Y-yes." Charlie's body felt deliciously warm. She could   
feel the trembling begin to abate almost at once.  
  
"Why don't you take off your jacket and put it over   
yourself," he suggested. "If you lean against me, you   
should be okay."  
  
After a moment's consideration, she obeyed. Charlie put   
his arms back around her, over the top of the jacket.   
"How's that?"  
  
"You're nice and warm," she said. "But if you ever tell   
anybody about this --"  
  
"My lips are sealed." His voice held that amused note   
again.  
  
Surprisingly, Lois felt herself relaxing, which was a   
puzzle in itself. If anything, she should be alert,   
expecting any moment to have to fight off some kind of   
advance -- but she trusted Charlie, she realized with a   
touch of amazement. It was a trust that had been growing   
since she had met him. There wasn't anything logical about   
it, but she knew with some instinct that went deeper than   
reason that she was safe with him. His shoulder made a   
perfect resting place for her head and she leaned back   
against him, feeling the beating of his heart through the   
thin cotton of the shirt. Was she wrong, or was his heart   
rate faster than it should be?  
  
She couldn't tell. His body heat enveloped her like a   
warm, comfortable cocoon.  
  
"So," Charlie said, "do you have any more theories about   
me?"  
  
"I don't know," she said. "Just some wild speculation,   
really."  
  
"What kind of speculation?"  
  
"You'd think I was crazy," she said. "Even I'm wondering   
if I'm a little crazy, to tell you the truth. It just   
seems more than a little coincidental that someone like you   
should show up just now in such a strange way."  
  
"You think I'm here because of Nightfall or something?" he   
asked.  
  
"Well, why not?"  
  
"Well -- you're right. It does seem pretty crazy," he   
agreed. "On the other hand, if you're right about the   
other stuff, and something horrific did happen to make me   
forget.... She felt him shrug. "Maybe in the morning this   
is going to seem really silly, but if you're not dreaming   
about all this -- well, maybe we can find out. If I can   
just remember, maybe it'll all make sense."  
  
Lois glanced at her watch. In the darkness, the numbers   
were invisible. "Can you see the time?" she asked, lifting   
her wrist so he could read the numbers.  
  
"Yeah. It's nine forty-two," he said. "We've been stalled   
out here for nearly two hours."  
  
"Funny, it doesn't seem that long." Lois yawned. "It   
feels later though."  
  
"Maybe because you're tired," Charlie said. "From the way   
you were tossing and turning in Mr. White's office, I don't   
think you slept that well, last night."  
  
"How did you know that?" Lois asked.  
  
"Um -- I heard you," he admitted.  
  
Silence for a moment. "I think I rest my case," Lois said,   
finally.  
  
"Yeah, it does seem like it," he said, slowly. "If you're   
right...." He broke off. "Okay, what else have you been   
thinking?"  
  
Lois hesitated. "Um...well, this is going to seem really   
out there," she said after a moment. "Charlie, I think you   
*were* the guy Mac was talking about. I think those were   
your glasses I found in the fireball crater. And I think   
you had something to do with saving that plane."  
  
"How could I have done that?" he asked.  
  
"I don't know, but my instinct says I'm right. And if you   
were him, and if you did, maybe you're supposed to help   
save us from Nightfall, too. But don't ask me how, at   
least not right now. I haven't worked that out yet."  
  
"I'll bet," Charlie said. "I don't think anybody could."  
  
"I told you it sounded crazy. Let's shelve that part right   
now. If we can get you to remember, maybe it'll all   
straighten out on its own."  
  
"I think you're investing too much hope in me," Charlie   
said. "But --" He paused long enough that she thought he   
wasn't going to complete the sentence. "Still, I have to   
admit, you're probably right about the other stuff -- about   
me, that is. And if you are, there's plenty here that   
neither of us understands. Where did I come from? Mars or   
something?"  
  
"I don't know," she said.  
  
"That was meant to be a joke," he said, reprovingly.  
  
"Was it?"  
  
"Well, partly." He blew out his breath. "I think we've   
speculated enough tonight, don't you?"  
  
"Probably." She surprised herself by yawning.  
  
"Look, why don't you try to get some sleep," he said.   
"I'll stay awake. If a highway patrolman comes by, or if   
anyone shows up that can help us, I'll wake you. Okay?"  
  
Reluctantly, she acknowledged that he was probably right.   
Fatigue was beginning to catch up with her. "You don't   
think I'm crazy?"  
  
She heard the amusement in his voice, coupled with   
uncertainty. "I think you're grasping at straws, but I   
don't blame you a bit. In any case, there isn't much we   
can do until it gets light."  
  
Lois yawned again, nearly dislocating her jaw. Charlie   
laughed softly. "Go to sleep if you can. I already   
promised you there wouldn't be any funny stuff."  
  
"It's not the funny stuff that worries me," she said,   
breaking off to yawn a third time. "I trust you, Charlie."  
  
He pulled the jacket around her a little more tightly.   
"I'm glad. Good night, Lois."  
  
**********  
  
"Lois," Charlie's voice said, "wake up. Somebody's   
coming."  
  
Lois opened her eyes and blinked blearily at the inside of   
her Cherokee. She was half-sitting in the passenger seat,   
reclining against Charlie's broad chest with her feet   
resting on the driver's seat. Her jacket was spread across   
her upper body and Charlie's T-shirt covered her legs and   
feet. The windshield of the Jeep was coated with frost and   
through the driver's window, she could see the glitter of   
snowflakes drifting past, colored pink by the sunrise.   
Sometime during the night, it had begun to snow very   
lightly.  
  
"Better wake up," Charlie repeated. "Somebody's coming."  
  
Slowly, she straightened up. There was a slight crick in   
her neck, her mouth tasted funny and she felt thoroughly   
rumpled. Charlie was reaching for his shirt. Lois dropped   
her feet to the floor and scooted quickly over the   
gearshift and into the driver's seat.  
  
Casting a look at her companion as he shook out his T-  
shirt, she felt even less presentable. It wasn't fair that   
anyone could look that good first thing in the morning   
after a night spent in the cramped quarters of a Jeep's   
front seat. On the other hand, it was obvious that he had   
been as well behaved as he had promised and sleeping close   
to him had kept her comfortably warm all night. And, she   
had to admit that if she was going to spend the night   
sleeping on a guy's chest, Charlie's was definitely the one   
she would pick.  
  
"What's the matter?" Charlie asked, starting to pull the   
shirt over his head. "Do I have a spot on my nose or   
something?"  
  
"Um...no." Quickly, Lois pulled her riveted gaze from   
Charlie's bare torso and turned to reach into the back seat   
for her purse. At least, she would feel a little less   
rumpled once she'd brushed her hair. A glance at her watch   
told her that it was a few minutes after six. "You said   
someone was coming?"  
  
"Yeah." As he spoke, a car came over the small hill ahead   
of them and Lois recognized the vehicle belonging to her   
boss.  
  
Perry pulled to a stop on the shoulder of the gravel road,   
barely six feet from the Jeep and the driver's door popped   
open almost before the engine died. Lois pushed open her   
own door and slid out. "Perry! Are we glad to see you!"  
  
Her editor's face looked paler than she had ever seen it.   
He hurried toward her, feet crunching in the thin layer of   
snow that coated the dry grass. "Thank God! Lois, are you   
all right?"  
  
"Yeah." She waved at her stranded vehicle. "We were on   
our way back when the engine quit and stranded us out here   
in the middle of nowhere. Charlie says my alternator belt   
broke."  
  
Charlie opened his door and got out. "We figured we'd   
better wait 'til the sun came up before we started looking   
for a gas station."  
  
Perry glanced at him and back at Lois. "You're okay,   
aren't you?"  
  
"Well," Lois said, "it got a little cold last night, but   
other than that, we're fine, except that the car won't   
start."  
  
Perry wiped his face. "When I realized you hadn't come   
back last night, I was scared, honey. People act like   
they've gone crazy. There were more riots last night, and   
someone torched City Hall. With all that, I didn't know   
what might have happened. The only thing I could think of   
was to try the airfield, since Bill said that was where   
you'd gone."  
  
"Oh," Lois said. "Well, it was only car trouble. Just the   
same, I'm glad you came. It's a long way to town on foot."   
  
Charlie added, "If we could get an alternator belt, I can   
jump-start the car and it should be fine."  
  
Perry nodded. "That sounds good. The closest open gas   
station in town is Jilly's Self-Service Station over on   
Maple. They might have one. I left Jimmy holding down the   
fort at the office, so since I don't have much to do right   
now, I'll give you a ride to town and back."  
  
It figured, Lois thought. Jilly's was the gas station that   
had grossly overcharged her for gas. "Perry, did you see   
their prices? The only difference between Jilly's and a   
hold up is the cash register!"  
  
"Lois, gas is at a premium right now. Jilly's is one of   
twelve stations open in the whole city and there isn't any   
more being delivered, at least until EPRAD's rocket knocks   
out Nightfall. It's the same in every other city in the   
country. Naturally, they're going to raise their prices."  
  
Put that way, it made sense but she didn't have to like it.   
"Well, I hope they don't charge as much for an alternator   
belt."  
  
As it turned out, the station only charged 200 percent of   
the original price. Charlie volunteered to replace the   
belt and a short time later Lois and Charlie were following   
Perry's car back toward Metropolis in the Jeep.  
  
"That was easier than I expected," Lois said.  
  
Charlie nodded his agreement. "It was nice of your boss to   
come looking for you. I doubt most big-city bosses would   
do the same for one of their employees."  
  
Lois shrugged. "I'm Perry's protegee. I think he sort of   
regards me as a daughter. Still, if it hadn't been for   
practically no one showing up for work, he probably   
wouldn't have. He might have sent Jimmy, though."  
  
"How do you know practically no one came to work?" Charlie   
asked, mystified.  
  
"He put Jimmy in charge," Lois said, as if that explained   
it all.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Jimmy's the office gofer as well as a junior photographer.   
Bottom man on the office food chain."  
  
"Oh, I see." Charlie nodded. "I figured it might be   
something like that. He's a nice kid, though."  
  
Lois hadn't thought much about it. "Yeah, he is." She   
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. "I told Perry I   
was going to drop by my apartment to change before I came   
in to the office. He didn't say so, but I got the   
impression he thought it was a good idea."  
  
"Well, maybe," Charlie said. "I don't think you look so   
bad, though. Actually, you look pretty decent, first thing   
in the morning."  
  
Lois glanced at him. "So do you, except for the beard.   
You're looking kind of bristly."  
  
"Well, maybe I can get a razor."  
  
"We'll stop and buy you one," Lois said. "Speak up if you   
see an open drug store." She didn't continue the thought   
aloud. Here was a chance to see if she was right about why   
the razor blades had broken on Charlie's beard. She knew   
she had only partly convinced him, last night. The more   
solid the evidence she could present to him, the better.  
  
It was incredible, she thought, how things could   
disintegrate so thoroughly in just a few days. Many stores   
along the streets of Metropolis were closed, with iron bars   
in place over their windows and doors. Others were still   
open as some merchants sought to continue on as they always   
had but Lois noticed that many of those that were open also   
had bars over their windows and most of them had security   
guards present at their doors. Two nights of riots had   
made their mark.   
  
"There's a drug store," Charlie said.  
  
Potrero's Drugs was a little independent store. Lois had   
never gone there, preferring to go to the Trexall Drug   
Store nearest her apartment for her supplies, but Trexall's   
was closed and had been since yesterday. The little man   
behind the counter watched the two of them nervously as   
they entered, and Lois could feel the eyes of the big,   
beefy security guard at the door following her as she and   
Charlie walked up and down the aisles, looking for the   
shaving supplies.  
  
At last, they had acquired a razor, shaving lather and a   
package of the best blades Lois could find. She added a   
new pair of nylons to replace the pair she had thoroughly   
shredded in the past fifteen hours and headed for the cash   
register to pay for their purchases. Charlie ran a hand   
over the two days' growth on his chin. "I'll be glad to   
get this off. It itches."  
  
Lois paid for the purchases and they hurried out to the   
Cherokee. It was a little after eight and by this time in   
the morning, Metropolis was usually bustling. Not so,   
today. The streets were eerily quiet. A short way down   
the block, a lone figure scurried from the shelter of one   
doorway to the next: probably one of the homeless drifters   
that frequented the alleys and back streets of Metropolis,   
Lois thought. In a way, she felt almost envious. If   
Nightfall should hit, they didn't have nearly as much to   
lose.  
  
She glanced at Charlie as he pulled the seat belt over his   
lap. In the cold light of day, most of her deductions   
about him seemed pretty wild. Still, there were so many   
things about this strange man that didn't add up and,   
anyway, what did she really have to lose by pursuing her   
theory? It wasn't as if she could do anything to stop   
Nightfall, after all -- unless Charlie was somehow what she   
was beginning to believe he was.  
  
And what was that -- an angel? No, she admitted,   
reluctantly, probably not. He looked much too solid and,   
well, very much part of the world. He wasn't something   
supernatural. But was he of Earth? That was another   
question. He *looked* like a man, that was certain, and   
acted like one, too: a very good looking and superior   
specimen, to be sure, but a man, all the same. But there   
were the other things that said he wasn't an ordinary man.   
What was he, then? Was he human at all?  
  
"You're looking at me that way again," Charlie said.  
  
"What way?"  
  
"Like I've grown another head," Charlie said. "What's up?"  
  
"Nothing, really. I was thinking over what we talked about   
last night. I just wish I could figure you out."  
  
Charlie snorted. "I wish *I* could figure me out. It's   
funny, though. I fell asleep sometime after two, according   
to your watch, and I had the weirdest dreams...I guess I   
was thinking about what you said. I dreamed I was saving   
that jet."  
  
"Oh? What did you dream?"  
  
"I was flying over the hills west of Metropolis and saw the   
plane hit by lightning," he said. "It was a Lear jet,   
painted a funny sky-blue color. It started to fall and I   
swooped down and caught it. It was pretty strange."  
  
"You caught it? How?"  
  
"With my hands," Charlie said. "I said it was a weird   
dream. I was flying all by myself. No plane, no   
helicopter. Not even a flying carpet. And then, after   
that, I was on a farm, helping with the livestock."  
  
"Now, that's weird," Lois said. "Did anything happen?"  
  
"Yeah. I was a kid, and I kept setting fires."  
  
"Setting fires? You mean, like an arsonist?"  
  
He shook his head. "No, I kept looking at things and   
everything kept bursting into flame. It was kind of scary.   
I set the barn on fire and was trying to put it out when I   
guess I heard Mr. White's car and woke up. It was quite a   
relief."  
  
"Well, I guess nightmares aren't surprising, considering   
what's happening," Lois said.  
  
"I guess not," Charlie agreed. "That's probably why   
everything felt so out of control." He glanced out the   
window at the nearly empty streets. "You know, this is   
almost scarier, though. I don't remember much, but I   
*know* this isn't normal. It's not that I don't remember   
anything -- just anything about myself."  
  
"And there has to be a reason for that," Lois said. "In   
your dream about being a kid on a farm, was there anything   
else you remember about it besides the fires?"  
  
He frowned at the dashboard. "I'm not sure. You know how   
dreams are; everything is kind of jumbled up. I remember   
thinking that I mustn't let anyone find out what I could do   
and trying desperately to stop setting fires, but I   
couldn't. I was in a panic."  
  
"I guess that would make sense," Lois said. She pulled the   
Cherokee to the side of the street in front of her   
apartment. "Here we are. Let's go get cleaned up."  
  
The apartment house was again locked when Lois tried the   
door and she had to unlock it. Mr. Tracewski was nowhere   
to be seen this time when they entered, but a younger man   
whom Lois recognized as his oldest son was sitting on a   
chair in the hall that adjoined the entranceway with a   
shotgun lying across his knees. It was apparent that the   
Tracewski family had no intention of allowing intruders   
into the building without resistance. Mervin Tracewski   
nodded at Lois and looked Charlie over with a trace of   
suspicion. "Who is this, Ms. Lane?"  
  
"This is Charlie," Lois explained. "He's...um...I guess   
you can say he's been my bodyguard for the past day and a   
half."  
  
Surprisingly, Mervin nodded, apparently accepting the   
explanation. "All right; you can go in," he told Charlie.   
"It's a good thing you have a bodyguard, Ms. Lane. People   
are crazy, you know that? Did you hear they tried to burn   
City Hall? As if the mayor can do anything about this   
Nightfall!"  
  
"I heard. How bad was the damage?"  
  
Mervin shrugged. "They didn't say. It was on LNN."  
  
"Oh." Lois started for the elevator. "Well, they're   
launching the Asgard rocket in a few hours. Keep your   
fingers crossed."  
  
**********  
  
"It's your turn," Lois said, walking into the living room   
of her apartment. Charlie had been watching the   
television, but now he turned around and smiled at her.   
She had chosen a fresh outfit, including a pair of flat   
shoes, and felt considerably better after her shower. "How   
are things going?"  
  
"Well, from what I can see," Charlie said, "the situation   
seems to be quieting down -- at least for now. I think   
everyone is sort of in a holding pattern, waiting to see if   
the rocket is going to do the job. LNN reports that even   
the protests seem to be losing steam."  
  
"I hope so," Lois said. She glanced at his clothing.   
"We'll have to get you some clean clothes at the Planet.   
You've been wearing those since night before last."  
  
"I hate to steal anyone's clothes," Charlie objected. "Is   
there a laundromat around here?"  
  
"There's one in the basement," Lois said. "But you can't   
wander around with no clothes on while they wash, in spite   
of the way I found you."  
  
Charlie's blushed. "Don't remind me."  
  
Lois giggled, surprising herself. "It wasn't so bad," she   
said, with a grin. "Actually, if it hadn't been for the   
circumstances, I'd probably have enjoyed the view."  
  
"Lo-is!" His face was beet-red and she burst out laughing   
at his expression.  
  
Her amusement was apparently contagious, for at last, he   
gave a small, embarrassed grin. Lois waved at the door to   
her bedroom. "Go on, get yourself a shower and a shave.   
We have places to go and people to see."  
  
He nodded and vanished quickly through the door. Lois went   
into her tiny kitchen to retrieve a soda from the   
refrigerator. A few minutes later, settling down in front   
of the television, she heard the shower come on.  
  
Charlie had been right, she was thinking a few minutes   
later. An unnatural calm seemed to have fallen over the   
entire city. The camera of the LNN newscopter panned over   
empty streets, where the debris left by the riots of the   
past two nights attested to the panic that had gripped   
Metropolis. Smashed windows and overturned cars seemed to   
be the least of the damage. The scene looked like   
something out of one of those Armageddon movies that had   
been so popular for a time.  
  
There were no signs of the panicky men and women now. It   
was as if they had burned out their fear and anger over the   
past hours and now waited passively to see if the worst   
would befall or if the government's nuclear-tipped missile   
would save them. Scenes from other countries relayed by   
satellite showed much the same situation. People filled   
churches, temples and mosques, or congregated in the open,   
silently waiting to learn the final verdict. Many had fled   
the cities, although why, she wasn't sure. If the big   
asteroid hit, a local astronomer informed the host of one   
of the talk shows, its projected point of impact was   
somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, but it would cause massive   
tidal waves and throw enough water vapor into the air to   
cause major climate change. Lois grimaced and turned off   
the television. If that happened, she would deal with the   
situation then -- if she survived. There was no point in   
borrowing trouble.  
  
The shower had gone off while she had been absorbed in the   
images on the screen. She drank her soda, waiting.   
Charlie would soon be shaving, and then they would see what   
happened....  
  
The door to the bedroom opened. Charlie stood there, a   
towel wrapped snugly around his waist. His face was   
lathered up and in one hand, he held the razor. "Lois...."  
  
"What's wrong?" she asked, already knowing what the problem   
was.  
  
"It happened again," he said, holding out the razor. "I   
just broke two more blades."  
  
Quickly, Lois got to her feet and crossed the room to him.   
He was right. When she took the razor in her hand and   
opened it, she could see where the blade had broken   
unevenly along the edge. Slowly, she lifted a finger to   
run it across the untouched stubble of his beard.  
  
"Charlie," she said, "it's not the razor -- it's you. The   
blade can't cut your beard."  
  
"I figured that out," he said. "It looks like you were   
right. I'm injury-proof."  
  
"Almost, anyway," Lois said.  
  
"If a razor can't cut my beard, how the heck do I shave?"   
he demanded, sounding exasperated. "I was pretty clean-  
shaven when you found me! If I can't cut this stuff off,   
I'm going to look like Rip Van Winkle before long! And how   
about my hair?"  
  
"We'll figure it out," Lois said. "There has to be a way,   
but we've got more important things to think about for now.   
Go get dressed. I need to get to the Planet. Besides, I'm   
just about out of food and I'm starving!"  
  
**********  
  
On the street, half an hour later, Lois looked thoughtfully   
at her Jeep. "I guess we better take it," she said, at   
last. "I'm going to need it later, but I hate to waste the   
gas."  
  
Charlie nodded and without comment, waited while Lois   
unlocked the door for him. While she started the engine,   
he flipped up the small panel on the sunshade, revealing   
the makeup mirror. As he had done several times since he   
had made the discovery about his beard, he leaned forward,   
studying the growth.  
  
"It looks just like ordinary hair," he muttered.   
  
"I know," Lois agreed. "Somehow, you're different,   
Charlie. If you hadn't been, you'd have been dead night   
before last."  
  
"I know, and I'm grateful," Charlie said, "but how the heck   
am I going to cut this stuff? I don't like looking like a   
fugitive from a homeless shelter."  
  
"I don't know, but it's obviously possible. Wherever   
you're from, you've been around longer than just a few   
days."  
  
"How do you figure that?"  
  
"Well, I know you aren't sure, but I think you were the guy   
Mac was talking about. When we get to the office, I'm   
going to have Jimmy pull up the stuff on that jet and see   
if there's anything more about it that we haven't heard.   
If the thing was a Lear jet that happened to be sky   
blue...."  
  
"I could have read it, somewhere."  
  
"I doubt it," Lois said. "I vaguely remember the incident.   
I'm pretty sure the Planet was the only paper that got the   
story; everybody else had to get it from us, and I think it   
was on something like page ten of the paper. I'm sure I'd   
have remembered if the article had mentioned the color of   
the plane."  
  
"Weren't there any pictures?"  
  
Lois shook her head. "The guy's bodyguards wouldn't let   
anyone near the jet. The owner was Paolo Bertolli."  
  
"The reclusive Hollywood producer?"  
  
"That's the one." She glanced sideways at him. "I'm kind   
of surprised you even recognize his name. The guy avoids   
publicity and the press like his life depends on it. All   
we had were stock pictures to go with the article, which is   
why mostly nobody remembers it. The only reason it ended   
up in the paper at all was because it was such an unusual   
incident."  
  
"Then, how are you going to find out the color of the   
plane?"  
  
Lois smiled. "You obviously don't know Jimmy. That kid   
knows computers like you wouldn't believe. He practically   
makes them sit up and beg."  
  
"That, I'd like to see," Charlie said.  
  
"You will. I've got another idea, too."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I'll tell you if it pans out," Lois told him turning onto   
the street where the Daily Planet was located. "Hey, it   
looks like Winslow's Doughnuts is open! I'm starving!"  
  
**********  
  
The middle-aged woman behind the counter eyed them   
suspiciously as they entered the shop, but relaxed when she   
saw Lois. "Oh, hi, Ms. Lane. I was afraid you were some   
of those hooligans again. What can I do for you?"  
  
"Hi, Roberta," Lois said. "How about two dozen cake   
doughnuts and two cups of hot coffee?"  
  
"Sure. Coming right up."  
  
"Have you had trouble, here?" Charlie asked.  
  
The woman opened sliding glass doors to one of the display   
cases and began to remove doughnuts with a pair of tongs.   
"Some. Last night I thought for sure they were going to   
break all my windows and trash the place but the police   
showed up in time, thank goodness."  
  
"I'm sorry," Charlie said. "It must have been   
frightening."  
  
"You could say that," she said. "I just hope EPRAD is able   
to stop that thing before it hits us."  
  
"So do I," Lois said.  
  
"I read about the fireball you saw and the guy you found in   
the crater," the woman said. "Do you think it could have   
been a piece of the asteroid?"  
  
"I doubt it," Lois said. "How would it have gotten here   
ahead of the rest of the pieces?"  
  
Roberta appeared to ponder that for a moment. "You're   
right. I hadn't thought of that. But how about the guy   
you found in the crater? I don't understand how come he   
wasn't killed."  
  
"Believe me, Roberta, we'd like to know how it happened,   
too," Lois said. "This is Charlie, by the way. We're   
calling him that because we still don't know his real name.   
I don't suppose you've ever seen him before, have you?"  
  
Roberta's eyes had widened a little, but now she gave   
Charlie's face a close scrutiny. Finally, she shook her   
head regretfully. "I'm afraid not. Wish I had, though."  
  
Lois could understand that. "Well, I thought I'd ask."   
She accepted the box of doughnuts, removed one and took a   
huge bite. "These are great, Roberta."  
  
The woman smiled. "Thanks."  
  
Lois stuffed the rest of the doughnut into her mouth and   
wiped her fingers on a paper napkin from the receptacle on   
the counter. "How much?"  
  
"That'll be seven dollars and fifteen cents."  
  
Lois opened her purse and produced several bills. "Don't   
forget the coffee."  
  
"Just getting it now." Roberta filled two Styrofoam cups   
with steaming coffee and capped them. "Be careful with   
these. I just brewed a fresh pot of coffee and it's pretty   
hot."  
  
"Just the way I want it," Lois assured her, glancing at   
Charlie. He responded by reaching for several small   
containers of half-and-half and three packets of sugar.  
  
Roberta accepted the bills Lois handed her. "I wonder if   
this is worth it," she remarked as they turned to leave.   
"If that thing hits us, money won't be worth the paper it's   
printed on."  
  
"Think positively," Lois said. "That's what I'm doing."  
  
"I guess that's all anyone can do," Roberta said. "I'll   
see you later...I hope."  
  
Out on the sidewalk again, Lois uncapped her coffee and   
took a tiny swallow. "Mmm -- good. It's pretty hot,   
though. Try yours. You can put in that other stuff   
later," she added. "I want to make sure it's as hot as we   
can get it. Consider it a double check."  
  
"Okay." Charlie had opened his own coffee, and now he took   
a cautious sip. He frowned and took a healthy swallow.   
Lois couldn't help wincing a little, knowing how hot the   
coffee actually was.  
  
"Well?" she asked, already knowing the answer.   
  
He lowered the cup. "All right, you've proved your theory   
-- not that I'm really surprised at this point. It doesn't   
feel all that hot to me, and I'm not burned as far as I can   
tell." He dipped a finger into the liquid, letting it   
remain there for several seconds. "But, what does it   
mean?"  
  
"It means I wasn't imagining things," Lois said. "Now we   
know why the fireball didn't burn you. You're fireproof.   
Here, hold the doughnuts while I unlock the car."  
  
He accepted the box without comment. Lois unlocked his   
door and went around to open her own. Once in the Jeep,   
she set her cup in the cup holder and took the doughnut box   
while Charlie fastened his seatbelt. "Charlie, you grabbed   
a knife by the blade last night and it didn't cut you."  
  
"Hey, coffee is one thing, but I'm not about to stab myself   
just to prove that knives can't cut me!" he said, only   
half-joking.  
  
Lois grinned. "Don't worry." Her smile disappeared.   
"What's the matter, Charlie?"  
  
"It's just that this is really strange, Lois."  
  
"I know. I meant what I said last night, though. I'm not   
going to tell anyone. But I'm still wondering why you   
turned up just now, and why you were *in* that crater the   
fireball made. I have a feeling that it's not a   
coincidence."  
  
He opened the sugar packets, poured them into his coffee   
and followed it with the half-and-half. "Let's see what   
your friend Jimmy can find," he said. "If he comes up with   
anything to back up your idea -- well, then maybe you're   
right."  
  
"Fair enough," Lois said. She started the engine and   
pulled away from the curb. Melting snow sprayed the empty   
sidewalk behind them.  
  
********** 


	2. Chapter 2

Four Days to Nightfall: Part 2  
By Nan Smith  
The newsroom was almost deserted when Lois and Charlie   
stepped out of the elevator. In his office, Perry was   
sitting at his desk, apparently absorbed in shuffling   
through what looked like a stack of cards. Jimmy was   
perched on the edge of his desk, watching the monitors.  
  
"Jimmy! I need you to find some information for me, as   
fast as you can!" Lois spoke before the elevator door had   
even closed behind them. Jimmy jumped and nearly fell off   
the desk at her near-shout.  
  
"Geez, Lois!" He straightened up. "You scared me!"  
  
"Sorry, but this is important." She descended the stairs   
with more haste than grace. "I need you to find out about   
Paolo Bertolli's private jet. What kind is it and what   
color is it painted?"  
  
"Huh?" Jimmy looked at her oddly. "Are you kidding?"  
  
"Jimmy, it's important. Just find it for me."  
  
Jimmy shrugged. "Sure, if you want it." He took his seat   
in front of the computer on his desk and rested his fingers   
on the keyboard. "Why the rush, though? If Nightfall   
hits, it's not going to matter, anyway."  
  
"You might be surprised about that," she said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Never mind. Just find the stuff for me. I'm going to   
take Charlie down to the lockers for a change of clothes,   
if Perry asks."  
  
Jimmy gave her a curious look, but nodded. "Sure."  
  
Lois grasped Charlie by the elbow. "Come on. Let's go get   
you some clean clothes." She started up the ramp with a   
determined stride. Charlie trotted obediently along, but   
once in the elevator he raised an eyebrow at her.  
  
"You get kind of intense, you know?"  
  
Lois shrugged. "I have to be. It's how I keep my image."  
  
He surveyed her, thoughtfully. "I suppose. The other   
night, I heard some of the night staff here call you 'Mad   
Dog' Lane. You don't seem that way to me."  
  
She laughed shortly and leaned back against the wall of the   
elevator. "I'm a woman in a field that's predominately   
male, Charlie. I can't let them see any vulnerabilities or   
I lose credibility."  
  
"I don't see why. I was reading some of your stuff the   
night I was here. You're brilliant. I'd think any editor   
would kill to have you on his staff."  
  
Lois smiled, unexpectedly flattered. "Thanks, Charlie."   
  
"I mean it." Charlie shoved his hands into the pockets of   
the jeans. "Do you think anyone else would have put   
together the things you have about me? Even I didn't."  
  
"You didn't have any reason to think what you were doing   
was unusual," Lois said. "I was in a position to notice   
things."  
  
"Yeah, but most people wouldn't have," Charlie said.  
  
"Well...maybe. I may still be way off base."  
  
"Maybe. But you've figured out a lot."  
  
She shrugged. "My dad always said I was an unconventional   
thinker. He wanted me to be a doctor."  
  
"Why didn't you?"  
  
"What? Be a doctor? I didn't want to. I've wanted to be   
a reporter since third grade. Dad tried to push me into   
medical school; he said he wouldn't pay for college unless   
I studied medicine."  
  
"That's ridiculous!" Charlie seemed genuinely horrified.   
"What kind of parent does that?"  
  
"Mine, evidently. Anyway, I applied for scholarships and   
went to journalism school. My father finally came around   
and helped me after the first year when he realized I was   
going to do things my own way, no matter what." She   
shrugged. "Somehow, I've always managed to disappoint   
him."  
  
"Considering what I've seen and heard about you, I'd think   
he'd be proud of you," Charlie said. "You're a very   
successful investigative journalist."  
  
"Nothing I ever did was enough," Lois said, trying to keep   
the bitterness out of her voice and at the same time   
wondering why she felt she could confide in Charlie.   
Something about him seemed to invite confidences. Maybe it   
was because he didn't have any expectations. If a man   
couldn't remember his own past, how could he judge anyone   
else? "I started out by being the wrong sex, then I wanted   
to be a reporter rather than a doctor. I still remember   
coming home with a 98 on my math test in tenth grade.   
'Look, Daddy, I got 98 percent!' 'Oh, good, Lois. That   
leaves two percent for improvement.' I couldn't win. He   
even made being an 'unconventional thinker' sound inferior.   
I guess I've been trying to prove to him I was as good as   
any boy would have been, ever since."  
  
Charlie was frowning. "I don't see why you have to prove   
anything to anyone. Any man who had a daughter like you   
would be crazy not to be proud of her. I'd say the problem   
is his, not yours."  
  
Lois felt her jaw drop. Charlie's unexpected assessment   
left her momentarily speechless, but she quickly closed her   
mouth and managed a smile. "Thanks, Charlie."  
  
"I mean it," Charlie said, quietly. "I think I've gotten   
to know you pretty well in just a couple of days.   
Considering everything that's happened, I think I was   
incredibly lucky that it was you who found me." He ran a   
hand over his chin. "Now, if you can just figure out how I   
can shave...."  
  
The non sequitur made her laugh. "I'll do my best. First,   
let's get you some clean clothes, though."  
  
He grinned. "You're the boss."  
  
"Just remember that," she told him with mock-severity.  
  
The elevator slowed to a stop at last and the doors popped   
open. They stepped out into a section of the building that   
was completely empty of humanity and almost dark. The   
lights were off; only the light from the elevator   
illuminated the hallway with the battered, metal lockers   
lining the walls. Several doors opened off the hall, dark   
and unexpectedly spooky. Their footsteps echoed loudly in   
the nearly empty space and Lois had to suppress a totally   
irrational sense of nervousness when the door of the   
elevator closed behind them, leaving the room pitch black.  
  
"Just a minute," Charlie's voice said. She heard his   
footsteps moving away and then a click. Lights blazed on   
suddenly, and she lifted a hand to shade her eyes.  
  
"Sorry, I should have warned you," Charlie said.  
  
"That's okay." Lois blinked away the water in her eyes.   
"At least we can see -- although you probably could   
anyway."  
  
"Not really," Charlie said. "There wasn't any light, but I   
saw where the switch was before the elevator doors closed.   
Anyway, what do you want me to wear?"  
  
"I think Eduardo is about your size," she said. "Your   
shoulders are a lot broader, but you can probably wear his   
pants, at least. And Pete is fat, and wears a larger   
shirt, so one of his would probably be big enough for you.   
Let's see if I can find you some clean underwear. Most   
people keep a couple of complete clothing changes in their   
lockers."  
  
"Aren't they locked?" Charlie asked.  
  
"The ones with the valuables are," Lois said, beginning to   
open the metal doors. "These are just clothes."  
  
Charlie looked slightly uncomfortable as she purposefully   
proceeded to rifle the lockers. "I hope none of them mind   
me borrowing their stuff," he said.  
  
"They didn't tell us you couldn't," she said. "It's their   
own fault if they didn't bother to show up to work. Oh,   
brother! There's a copy of the Daily Planet -- November   
twelfth, 1989 -- all crumpled up on the bottom of the   
locker. From the grease spots, it looks like somebody used   
it to wrap food. Yuck! Ah! Here's a package of boxers   
that hasn't even been opened. They look like they'll fit   
you, too." She glanced clinically at the jeans he had been   
wearing since the night before last. "What do you wear --   
32's?"  
  
"I guess. That was what Jimmy got me before."  
  
"Well, they should fit, then." She ripped the package open   
without hesitation and tossed him one of the pairs inside.   
"Here. You'll look good in black."  
  
Charlie caught the black boxers out of the air. "You're   
not going to see them on me," he said, firmly. "I'm done   
with exhibitionism for the rest of my life."  
  
She laughed but didn't answer. "Eduardo's got a pair of   
blue slacks -- and there's a belt." Tossing the items in   
his direction, she continued with her hunt. "Good grief!   
I've never seen Pete wear a watermelon-colored shirt   
before! No wonder he hides it in the back of his locker."  
  
His doubtful look deepened at the sight of the shirt. Lois   
grinned. "At least you won't need to worry about what Pete   
will say," she said. "He'd look like a clown in it."  
  
"So will I," Charlie said. "I guess beggars can't be   
choosers, though."  
  
Lois cocked her head to the side. "You don't have Pete's   
belly," she said. "I think it'll look good on you. It's   
your color."  
  
Both his heavy eyebrows flew up and he gave her an   
incredulous look. "I hope you're kidding."   
  
"Nope. It suits your complexion," she said, tossing the   
shirt at him. "Why don't you go in there and put it on?"  
  
He regarded the clothing in his hands and finally gave a   
sigh of resignation. "Pink shirt and blue slacks. At   
least Jimmy and Mr. White will have something to laugh at.   
I'll be right back."  
  
He disappeared through the nearest doorway and Lois saw the   
light come on before the door closed.  
  
Left alone for the moment, she sank down on one of the   
benches that sat between the lockers. Charlie had   
surprised her again, there in the elevator. It was obvious   
he thought a lot of her. His opinion of her father's   
evaluation of her had made the ancient feeling of   
inadequacy weaken for the first time in all her twenty-six   
years.  
  
"Ho-ly heck!" Charlie's shocked exclamation brought her to   
her feet and halfway to the door of the room where he had   
gone before she even realized she had moved. Quickly, she   
flung open the door, hoping she wouldn't catch him in the   
nude.  
  
"What's the matter? What happened?"  
  
Charlie was standing next to a smoldering bench in front of   
the wall mirror and the air was heavy with the scent of   
wood smoke and scorched varnish. He slapped at the smoking   
wood before he answered and the face he turned toward her   
was chalk-white. He clapped a hand over his eyes. "Lois,   
get away from me, quick! I don't want to hurt you!"  
  
"What the devil are you talking about?" Lois demanded.   
"You're not going to hurt me."  
  
"I set the bench on fire -- just by looking at it! Just   
like in my dream!" There was genuine panic in his voice.   
"Go back in the other room before I set your clothes on   
fire or something!"  
  
"All right." She backed out of the room until he was just   
out of sight. "Calm down, Charlie. What happened?"  
  
She heard him breathe heavily. "Are you out of the room?"  
  
"I'm in the hall. Take a deep breath and tell me what   
happened."  
  
"Lois, I've got to get away from you! It was just like I   
dreamed, last night!" His voice was shaking.  
  
"Charlie!" She made her voice sharp. "Get hold of   
yourself! You just looked at me and you didn't do a bit of   
damage to me. Whatever you did, it stopped. Take your   
hand away from your eyes and look around you."  
  
Silence for a count of ten, then she heard another deep,   
rather shaky breath.  
  
"Are your eyes uncovered?" she demanded.  
  
"Yeah. Don't come in, Lois, please! If it does it   
again...."  
  
"I won't, for now. Are you setting anything else on fire?"  
  
Another pause. "No."  
  
"All right, now think. What happened?"  
  
"I was looking in the mirror at the outfit," Charlie's   
voice said. She could hear it shake and heard him working   
to control the shaking. "I was thinking it didn't look so   
bad and I looked down at the bench. I thought about the   
dream last night -- you know, the one where I was starting   
fires with my eyes? -- and about how silly it was, and --   
you know, concentrated on the wood. You know how sometimes   
you goof around with something you know is impossible?"  
  
"Like the time my sister, Lucy, and I decided to try to   
bend a spoon like a psychic we saw on TV," Lois said. "I   
get it. So, what happened then?"  
  
"It worked! The wood started to smoke, and then there was   
a little flame, and I stopped! I slapped at it with my   
hand and put it out!"  
  
She heard his voice rising with near panic again. She   
didn't stop to think how impossible the story was. It was   
vitally necessary to calm Charlie down right away. Here   
was absolute proof that he was something very different   
than a human, and perhaps here for the reason she had   
hoped. It was all for nothing, however, if she didn't get   
control of the situation. "Charlie, you had to concentrate   
on the bench to set it on fire, didn't you? When you   
stopped, so did the, well, the fire-starting. Didn't it?"  
  
Silence. Then: "Yeah. Yeah, it did."  
  
"In other words, it doesn't happen unless you want it to."  
  
"I guess not -- but, Lois, how can I take the chance? I   
could hurt somebody! I could hurt *you*!"  
  
"Charlie, you've been with me for most of the last thirty-  
six hours and you haven't hurt me yet, even when you didn't   
know anything about this ability. I don't think you're   
going to." Lois drew a deep breath. She had to show him   
that she believed what she was saying, that she trusted him   
not to hurt her, and that he could trust himself. If she   
didn't believe it, he would know. He hadn't hurt her, she   
reminded herself, firmly. And he wouldn't.  
  
"Charlie, I'm coming in there. You're not going to hurt   
me. This isn't your dream. It's not out of control. You   
won't set anything on fire unless you want to."  
  
"Lois, don't...!"  
  
Lois mustered her nerve, telling herself that she was right   
because she *had* to be, and stepped forward into the room.  
  
Charlie had turned his back on her and had both hands over   
his eyes again. Surprisingly, the sight bolstered her   
slightly flagging courage. He wouldn't hurt her, she told   
herself, with more conviction. He had control of this --   
this heat-vision thing, even if he didn't know it. She put   
a hand on his arm.  
  
"Charlie, take your hands away from your eyes. You don't   
have to look at me. Just look straight ahead. It'll be   
all right."  
  
"Lois...."  
  
"Charlie, you can control this thing. You *are*   
controlling it. Just don't look at me if you're afraid."   
Gently, she tugged at his arm. "Take your hands down."  
  
Very slowly, he obeyed. His eyes were screwed tightly   
shut.  
  
"Charlie, open your eyes." With an effort, she kept her   
voice calm. "It's okay. You had to concentrate on the   
bench to make it burn. It's not going to happen if you   
don't want it to. Come on, now." Privately, Lois was   
amazed at the patience she found herself using with Charlie   
when all her instincts were screaming at her to *make* him   
open his eyes and demonstrate this incredible ability to   
her. Charlie was afraid he would hurt her -- and there   
might be something else here, too. Whatever had caused him   
to forget all these things about himself, it was apparent   
that it had been something nearly catastrophic. It had   
scared him so badly that his subconscious mind was trying   
to protect him by making him forget what he could do. It   
was very possible that the cause was Nightfall. If it was,   
then maybe there was something Charlie could do to save   
them. There were plenty of 'ifs' in that, but she couldn't   
ignore the slightest chance that it was true.  
  
One thing might be in her favor, though. In spite of the   
danger, he had tried this on his own, not really believing   
it would work; but still.... Maybe his action meant that   
something in him was trying to remember, to face whatever   
it was that had terrified him and finish whatever he had   
set out to do.  
  
She could hope, anyway. Charlie wasn't a coward, she   
thought. If there was anything she was sure of, it was   
that.  
  
"Charlie," she urged again, "open your eyes."  
  
Very slowly, he cracked an eyelid. Nothing happened.   
Slowly, ever so slowly, he opened one eye and then the   
other, keeping them focussed on a spot across the room,   
completely off her.  
  
"See -- nothing happened," Lois said. "As long as you   
don't try to set something on fire, you don't."  
  
"I'm not so sure of that," Charlie said. His voice sounded   
uncertain. "I'm not going to dare look at anyone."  
  
Lois didn't answer at once. Finally, she said, "Look,   
let's try to test this out."  
  
"I'm not going to set any fires!"  
  
"Take it easy." Lois waved to the trashcan that stood in   
one corner. "That's metal; it won't burn. Just hold on a   
minute."  
  
"What are you going to do?"  
  
"You'll see. Stay right here." Quickly, she retreated to   
the hallway and hurried to the lockers. A moment later,   
she was back, the ancient, grease-stained newspaper in her   
hands. Quickly, she stuffed it into the trashcan.   
  
"Now," she said, "we're going to test your control. I want   
you to look at the paper in the trashcan. *Don't* try to   
burn it. Just look at it, okay? Then, when I tell you, I   
want you to try to set it on fire."  
  
He hesitated. "I don't like this."  
  
"I know." She rested a hand on his arm. "Charlie, I'm   
just trying to show you that you can control this, just   
like you've been doing since I met you. Will you try?"  
  
"Well...." He looked doubtfully at the metal receptacle   
and then at her for just a split instant. "I guess so."  
  
"Good." Lois tugged at his arm. "Come on over here. Now,   
when I tell you, just look at the newspaper. If anything   
will burn easily, it's a newspaper, wouldn't you agree?"   
Inwardly, she was quaking slightly, but what she was saying   
made sense. She had to convince Charlie that he wasn't a   
danger to everyone around him.  
  
"Well...yes."  
  
Lois released his arm and stepped back. "Okay, just *look*   
at the paper. Don't try to get it to burn."  
  
Silence. Charlie stood perfectly still, staring into the   
trashcan. After perhaps thirty seconds, she could see him   
beginning to relax. "It's not burning, is it?"  
  
"No."  
  
"You're doing fine," Lois said, quietly. "Just keep   
looking. You just want to look at it, not do anything to   
it."  
  
"Okay."  
  
More silence.  
  
"Still no fire," Lois said, after another minute had gone   
by. "Would you agree that you don't seem to be setting it   
on fire by accident?"  
  
Slowly, he nodded and she could hear him release his   
breath.  
  
"All right," she said. "Now, we're going to see if you can   
control it when you want to. Do what you did to the bench.   
Try to get it to burn."  
  
She saw his shoulders stiffen and instantly, flame burst   
from the trashcan as the paper ignited. Charlie jumped   
back. "Wow!"  
  
"I'd say so." Lois stepped forward to look at the blazing   
newspaper. "I think I've proved my point. It only works   
when you want it to, Charlie. It's under your control.   
You don't have to be afraid of it."  
  
Charlie looked slowly away from the blazing paper.   
"Thanks," he said.  
  
"Don't mention it." Lois reached out to take his hand. "I   
knew you weren't a danger, Charlie."  
  
Charlie gripped her slender fingers in his larger ones. "I   
don't understand this at all. No one should be able to do   
this."  
  
"No ordinary man could, that's for sure," Lois corrected   
him. "I don't know how, Charlie, but you're definitely not   
ordinary."  
  
"Big news flash there," he said. "But if I'm not an   
ordinary human, what am I?"  
  
"Something else," Lois said. "Something special." She   
glanced back at the heavily smoking trashcan as the last   
remnants of the fire burned itself out.  
  
"'Special'," Charlie repeated. "I don't feel special.   
Here I am with no memories before I woke up in that   
crater."  
  
"That may not be quite true," Lois said. "Jimmy may be   
able to tell us differently."  
  
"Those crazy dreams of mine?" Charlie said. "But, Lois, I   
couldn't possibly have saved the jet the way I dreamed I   
did."  
  
Lois shrugged. "Maybe not, but you've got all kinds of   
strange abilities. Charlie, if you're not an ordinary   
human, it's possible that you're from somewhere else."  
  
"You mean, like another planet?"  
  
"Maybe. I've never heard of any aliens that were supposed   
to look like you but I always thought the flying saucer   
nuts were way off base anyway. How would *you* explain   
it?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"And what was the fireball?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Neither do I," Lois said. "But I think you and the   
fireball are connected with Nightfall -- and maybe the   
reason it shattered. I think that's why I found you in   
Centennial Park night before last. I think something about   
it scared you so badly that your mind is making itself   
forget who you are and what you can do -- because if you   
remembered you'd have to do something about it."  
  
"How could I have anything to do with it?" he asked.  
  
"I don't know. If you're from another planet, wouldn't you   
have to have a ship?"  
  
"I guess," Charlie said. "But if there is one, where is   
it?" He laughed shortly. "I can't believe we're having   
this conversation."  
  
"Neither can I," Lois admitted. "Look, let's go back up to   
the newsroom. Maybe Jimmy's got some information for us by   
this time."  
  
**********  
  
"Lois, I got the stuff you wanted," Jimmy said, as Lois and   
Charlie walked into the newsroom. "Would you believe the   
guy's jet is painted sky blue? Now, that's really weird!"  
  
Lois cast a quick look at Charlie. "How about that," she   
said, quietly. "What kind of jet, Jimmy?"  
  
"Oh, it's a Lear jet, natch. Who would want a sky blue   
plane?" He glanced up and broke off in surprise at the   
sight of Charlie's clothing. "Wow! That shirt kind of   
sticks out! Isn't that Pete's?"  
  
"Yeah," Lois said. "How did you know?"  
  
"His ex-wife gave it to him when they were still married,"   
Jimmy explained. "He was going to burn it, but I guess he   
forgot."  
  
"In that case, it won't matter if Charlie borrows it," Lois   
said. "So, Bertolli has a sky blue Lear jet. What do you   
think of that, Charlie?"  
  
"Interesting," Charlie said. "I guess you were right."  
  
"About Bertolli?" Jimmy said, clearly confused. "Why does   
it matter?"  
  
"I'm working on an idea," Lois said. "Right now, I need   
you to do something else for me, Jimmy. I want you to   
compile a list of every incident in the past -- oh, say ten   
years -- where a seeming miracle happened. The kind where   
people were saved from death or disaster, when there didn't   
seem to be any possible way out. Highlight the ones   
involving seemingly supernatural beings that were supposed   
to have helped. I want as many details as are available."   
She saw the incredulous expression on his face. "Really,   
Jimmy, it's important. I've got a theory about what   
shattered Nightfall, but I need some more information. And   
no, I don't think it was anything supernatural. Hurry,   
will you? There isn't much time."  
  
"Sure." Jimmy shrugged and turned back to his computer.   
"You want the picture of the jet?"  
  
"Did you get one?" Charlie asked, looking surprised.  
  
"Sure." Jimmy tilted his head toward the otherwise empty   
"out" box on his desk. "Right there."  
  
Charlie reached for it. "Do you mind?"  
  
"Go ahead." Lois added, "Jimmy, did you want a doughnut?   
I brought them in, but I guess you didn't notice."  
  
"Sure!" The young man's face lit up. "I'm starving!"  
  
That didn't surprise her. Jimmy had not yet gotten past   
the ravenous appetite of youth. She held out the box.   
"Here you go. Get the information as soon as you can,   
would you? They're firing the rocket in just a few hours."  
  
"I know." Jimmy looked momentarily subdued. "If it   
misses, Nightfall will hit us at about sunset, tomorrow. I   
hope EPRAD is on the ball."  
  
"All of us do." Lois glanced at Charlie. He was leaning   
against Cat Grant's desk, studying the computer printout of   
Bertolli's Lear jet. From the riveted expression on his   
face, she needed to talk to him. "Charlie?"  
  
"Huh?" He looked up from the paper. "Lois, I've seen this   
plane before."  
  
Jimmy glanced up. "Maybe you work for the guy."  
  
"I don't think so," Lois said. "I'm pretty sure there's   
another explanation."  
  
"I think it would be cool to work for a Hollywood   
producer," Jimmy said. "Even one as weird as Bertolli."  
  
"Jimmy, he doesn't work for Bertolli. Get that stuff I   
asked you for, will you? It's important." Lois turned to   
Charlie. "Remember what I said before?"  
  
"Yeah." Charlie was still frowning at the picture. "Maybe   
you're right. If you aren't, it's a terrific coincidence."  
  
She regarded him with a smile. "So you're starting to   
believe me, huh?"  
  
"Well, I still think some of it's a bit far out, but let's   
say, I'm willing to suspend judgement for now."  
  
"I guess that's a step in the right direction," Lois said.   
She glanced around as Perry opened the door of his office.   
"How are you doing, Chief?"  
  
Perry shrugged. "Okay. In a holding pattern like everyone   
else, I guess."  
  
"Yeah." Lois picked up another doughnut and took a bite.   
"I feel like I should be doing something, but I don't know   
what."  
  
"I know the feeling," Perry said. "It doesn't seem right   
to be in the office with nothing to do. Is the hamburger   
stand on the corner still open?"  
  
"I don't know," Lois said. "Do you want me to get you   
something?"  
  
"I'd rather you stayed here," Perry said. "Jimmy can go."  
  
"Jimmy's doing some research for me, Chief. Charlie can   
come with me. We'll be okay."  
  
Perry glanced at Charlie and his eyes widened slightly at   
the sight of the shirt but he didn't comment. "We --   
ll...okay, I guess so. But you come right back -- and be   
careful!"  
  
"I will." Lois smiled at him. "What do you want?"  
  
Perry shoved his hands into the pockets of his slacks.   
"How about a double cheeseburger with all the trimmings,   
fries, onion rings and one of those big apple tarts for   
dessert. Oh, yeah. And an extra large chocolate malt."  
  
"Do they let guys with high blood pressure eat that stuff?"   
Jimmy asked.  
  
His boss glared at him. Jimmy ducked his head.  
  
"Yeah, who cares now?" he said. "It's going to take a   
miracle to get us out of this one."  
  
Perry pulled his hands out of his pockets. "See this?"  
  
"What is it?" Jimmy asked.  
  
"Baseball card." He held it up. "Ted Williams. Batted a   
four-oh-six season in 1941. Miracles do happen."  
  
Lois glanced at Charlie. If she was right, he might be the   
miracle they were looking for -- if he regained his memory   
in time.  
  
Perry took the wallet out of his back pocket and extracted   
several bills. "Oh, hell, get some for all of us. I'm   
buying."  
  
"Okay," Lois said. "Come on, Charlie."  
  
**********   
  
By some miracle, the hamburger stand was open. There were   
even a couple of customers sitting at tables under the   
umbrellas that shaded the small, open-air eating area. The   
sun was shining brightly and the only traces of snow left   
by the overnight storm were a few puddles of dirty water on   
the sidewalk. While the woman behind the counter filled   
her order, Lois sat down at one of the tables, looking   
around at the empty streets.  
  
It was eerie, she thought. By this time on an ordinary   
day, the streets were teeming with people. Now, only a few   
persons moved about, many of them simply standing in one   
spot and looking up at the sky. She resisted the   
temptation to follow their example. There was nothing to   
see. Nightfall was still out there, plunging toward Earth   
at nearly thirty thousand miles per hour but above them,   
the sky was a clear, crisp blue. The snow of the previous   
night had melted in the sunshine and the air temperature   
was probably only a little below freezing. It was a   
typical day in early December. There was no sign of   
doomsday...yet.  
  
A police car drew up at the curb. Two men, only one in   
uniform, climbed out and strode up to the counter. The one   
in plain clothes glanced at her and raised a hand. "Hello,   
Lois."  
  
"Hi, Henderson." Lois found herself surprisingly pleased   
to see a familiar face. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Keeping an eye on things. Most of the regulars at the   
Precinct have been on duty for over forty-eight hours. I'm   
standing in."  
  
Lois nodded. "I'll bet. You look tired, too."  
  
He raised an eyebrow at her. "This Nightfall thing must be   
getting to you," he remarked. "You haven't insulted me,   
yet. Yeah, I've been on since last night. Where have you   
been? I didn't see you covering the riots."  
  
"When you've seen one riot, you've seen them all," Lois   
said. "Bill, this is Charlie -- only that's probably not   
really his name. He's the guy with amnesia whom I found in   
the fireball crater night before last. Charlie, this is   
Inspector Henderson of the Metropolis PD. Charlie's   
playing bodyguard for me today, Bill. You haven't seen him   
anywhere before, have you?"  
  
Henderson extended a hand, examining Charlie's face   
closely. "Nice to meet you, Charlie. No, I'm pretty sure   
I haven't, Lois. That's probably a good thing, though. At   
least you know I haven't arrested him. When I get back to   
the station, I'll check the missing persons reports, if you   
like."  
  
"I'd appreciate that," Lois said. "If you can get through,   
I'll either be at the Planet or you can leave a message   
there for me. I'll be at the EPRAD press conference this   
afternoon."  
  
Henderson nodded. "I figured you would be. Tell 'em to   
shoot straight."  
  
"I'll do that." The woman was back with her order. Lois   
stepped up to the counter to claim it. "I'll see you   
later, Bill." She hesitated and added, less casually, "Be   
careful, today, all right?"  
  
The detective smiled dryly. "I could say the same to you,   
but it would be a waste of time. Good luck, Lois."  
  
**********  
  
They walked slowly back toward the Planet. Charlie didn't   
say anything, but his expression said he was thinking a   
good deal. "He seems like a good guy."  
  
"He is," Lois said. "Don't ever tell him I said that,   
though. He'd think I was going soft."  
  
"I've been a little worried that I might have been a   
criminal," Charlie said. "I mean, how would I know, if I   
can't remember my past?"  
  
Lois shook her head. "You weren't a criminal, Charlie. I   
know that for certain. If anything, you're a little too   
nice for your own good. That's one of the things that   
makes me think you're not from here."  
  
"How is it possible to be too nice?" Charlie asked.  
  
"Believe me, it is -- at least, in Metropolis. That's all   
right, though. Stick with me and I'll keep you out of   
trouble," Lois said, before she thought. If she was right,   
she might end up sending him right back into whatever   
danger he was trying to avoid. The realization was   
unexpectedly troubling to her. Charlie was her friend, no   
matter how short a time she had known him. She liked him -  
- a lot. She didn't have many real friends and Charlie was   
one she didn't want to lose.  
  
He was taking his role as bodyguard seriously, she thought,   
watching him. He was observing the whole area, obviously   
ready to protect her from any and all threats that might   
emerge in this new situation of the last three days. He   
glanced down at her with a slight smile, but didn't relax   
his watchfulness. "I know, I'm probably making too much of   
this, but I don't want you to get hurt," he said. "Too   
many people think that the lack of police gives them carte   
blanche to do whatever they want."  
  
"I'm not arguing," Lois said. "Usually, I can take care of   
myself but it doesn't hurt to have some help -- especially   
right now."  
  
"After yesterday, I believe you," Charlie said. "That   
mugger will never be the same. I guess self defense   
training comes in useful on your job."  
  
"Definitely," she said. "It's saved my neck more than   
once."  
  
They reached the Daily Planet and Charlie let her go ahead   
of him into the lobby. The concession stands inside were   
empty today. Bill, the only security guard present, was   
seated on a chair to one side of the room. He raised a   
hand to them as they went by.  
  
When the elevator disgorged them on the third floor, Lois   
was surprised to see that one more person had arrived   
during their absence. In addition to Perry and Jimmy, who   
were watching the monitors as the LNN newscaster reported   
on a demonstration just outside EPRAD's main gate, Cat   
Grant was seated at her desk, eating a sandwich. As they   
crossed the newsroom to deliver the food to its recipients,   
she lowered the sandwich and deliberately surveyed Charlie   
from head to toe. Lois saw a faint flush stain his   
cheekbones but he didn't react, otherwise.  
  
"These characters have got to be the ultimate idiots,"   
Perry remarked, accepting the bag containing his lunch.   
"Is that my malt?"  
  
"No, this one's Charlie's," Lois said. "Here's yours."  
  
"Thanks." Her boss turned back to the scene on the   
monitors, beginning to unwrap his hamburger. "The only   
chance Earth has got is the Asgard rocket, and this batch   
is worried about polluting outer space with radiation.   
They want to call off the launch."  
  
"Nobody said the human race was logical, Chief," Lois said.   
"I'm more worried about our survival at the moment. Outer   
space will have to take care of itself." She extracted   
Jimmy's burger and fries from the larger bag and handed him   
his soda. "Here you go, Jimmy."  
  
"I got some of the stuff you wanted," Jimmy said, taking   
the food. "The computer is still searching but I thought   
you'd like to look at what I've found, so far. It's on   
your desk."  
  
"Thanks." Lois headed for her desk. "Come on, Charlie.   
We can read while we eat. I have to be at EPRAD in about   
three hours."  
  
Perry swallowed a large mouthful of burger. "I'm issuing   
Charlie a press pass so he can go in with you, Lois. As   
long as he's playing bodyguard, as far as I'm concerned   
he's got a legitimate reason to be there. I don't want you   
running around out there without some backup."  
  
"Good idea," Lois said. "Actually, I was going to suggest   
it. Charlie's turned out to be pretty useful a couple of   
times since yesterday."  
  
"Yeah," Perry said. "Bill told me about the battleaxe."   
He gave Charlie a respectful look. "You keep her safe, you   
hear me, Charlie?"  
  
"I will, Mr. White." Charlie pulled out Lois's chair for   
her and turned to appropriate another from a nearby desk.   
Lois dug into the bag of food and presented him with his   
burger, two extra-large orders of fries and the super-sized   
malt.  
  
"Here you go. Let's see what Jimmy's found for us."  
  
The stack of printer paper was a good inch thick. Lois   
absently unwrapped her burger while scanning the first   
incident. It described a case of climbers in the Alps,   
trapped by an avalanche and the angel who had appeared and   
taken them to safety. Dated three years ago, she supposed   
it could have been Charlie, although how he would have   
gotten that high in the Alps she couldn't explain. Still,   
it might be possible. Maybe he'd flown up there in his   
ship. No one reported seeing such a thing, but maybe it   
was invisible, like the one in that Star Trek movie.  
  
But, if her assumptions about Charlie were true, why on   
Earth -- or in space, she amended -- was he here? Just to   
run around doing good deeds? That seemed pretty unlikely.   
Was he some kind of guardian of Earth like a comic book   
character, or something? A glance at Charlie told her how   
silly such an idea was. He was here for something, but   
being a two-dimensional comic book hero wasn't one of them.   
Charlie was a real person, and there was a real answer   
there somewhere. But if he'd been here for a while, there   
had undoubtedly been a number of times that he'd found   
himself in a position to help. She'd bet anything she   
owned that he'd done just that when he could.  
  
Taking a long slurp of her chocolate malt, she settled down   
to read.  
  
**********  
  
The list of "incidents" provided by Jimmy had been   
formidable, Lois thought. There had been the team of   
scientists studying a sunken temple off the coast of   
Thailand, stranded when their submersible lost power under   
the ocean, suddenly finding itself on the surface half a   
mile from their support ship. There was the story of   
Marie, a small girl in Paris, trapped in her room when her   
home caught fire and the mysterious rescuer who apparently   
walked through flames to take her to safety. An earthquake   
victim, imprisoned in his car under a collapsing overpass   
awoke to find himself lying in a field a mile from the   
disaster with no memory of how he got there. There had   
been the prison break when all the escapees turned up   
caught in their escape tunnel -- because of the boxcar that   
somehow wound up sitting on top of the exit hole and a   
hundred more, all equally inexplicable. Could it have been   
Charlie at work?  
  
Most of the incidents had been within the past eight years,   
too. The ones before that were less definite, more as if   
they were the products of fertile imaginations. The   
reports that caught her attention had witnesses -- credible   
ones. If she were right, Charlie had been around for about   
eight years, and he had traveled around the world. Events   
of the type she looked for tended to be clustered in a   
certain area of the world at one time and then, a few   
months later, would move on to another part -- as if   
Charlie, for some reason, had felt the need to change his   
location. But the first ones of the type she was looking   
for and the ones for the last year had tended to congregate   
mostly in the American Midwest, with the occasional lapse,   
such as Paolo Bertolli's blue Lear jet.  
  
But there were a few that matched the pattern in all ways   
but location. There had been the mysterious "angel" who   
had appeared to the victims of the Chilean earthquake six   
months ago, who had rescued hundreds of villagers from   
their ruined homes, lifted huge boulders to free trapped   
people, built a dam within minutes to stop the river from   
flooding the besieged town, and who vanished as if he had   
never been when the rescue teams arrived. But the results   
of his presence remained. The village priest had called it   
a miracle. Government officials discounted the whole thing   
as a mass hallucination, but no explanation was ever given   
for the fact that the village had been saved from the   
flood. Could that have been Charlie, too? If so, she had   
only discovered a tiny fraction of what he could do. If it   
had been he, then he could surely save them from Nightfall   
-- if he could only remember who and what he was.  
  
Lois glanced at Charlie who was reading through the sheets   
of paper at warp speed. She doubted he'd even noticed how   
fast he was absorbing the material until Jimmy had remarked   
on it. Then he'd looked embarrassed and muttered something   
about being a speed reader. She hadn't commented, figuring   
the less said, the better.  
  
The clock said it was almost noon. She pushed back her   
chair. "Charlie, we have to go. The press conference is   
in about an hour."  
  
He put down the paper. "I'm ready when you are."  
  
"We're off, then." She reached under her desk to retrieve   
her handbag and stood up. "How's that research coming,   
Jimmy?"  
  
"I've got a bunch of stuff here. How much do you want?"  
  
"I guess what you have will do. Just put it on my desk.   
I'll look at it when I get back."  
  
"Will do." Jimmy bent backward in his chair, stretching.   
"I know I said we'd need a miracle but I didn't really   
expect one, you know."  
  
"Neither do I, Jim," she said. "It's just something I'm   
trying to figure out. If I do, I'll tell you all about it.   
Eventually."  
  
**********   
  
The crowd in front of EPRAD's main gate was blocking the   
entrance completely and quite obviously had no intention of   
letting the members of the press through. Requests from   
loudspeakers at the security checkpoint for them to clear   
the way were met with jeers and catcalls. Lois waited   
impatiently in the long line of vehicles all bearing the   
logos of various news organizations, as EPRAD's Security   
forces removed the demonstrators, hauling them away like   
sacks of meal. It took considerably longer than Lois liked   
and once her Jeep was hit by an egg, thrown by one of the   
demonstrators, but at last, the way was clear, barring some   
debris and a few wooden signs left behind.  
  
She and Charlie showed their press passes to the guards at   
the gate and were waved through. Handmade signs directed   
them to a parking lot set aside for them. Lois pulled the   
Cherokee into a parking place and cut the engine. Beside   
her in the passenger seat, Charlie looked nervously around.  
  
"I hope nobody asks for any other I.D."  
  
"Why should they?" Lois asked. "According to your pass,   
you're Charles Kerry, from the Daily Planet. That's all   
they care about. Let's go."  
  
Charlie ran a hand over the stubble on his chin. "I don't   
see any other guys with this on their faces."  
  
She shrugged. "You're trying to grow a beard. Big deal.   
Lots of guys are doing that these days."  
  
He regarded her with a smile. "You've got an answer for   
everything."  
  
"Naturally." She found herself smiling back at the   
expression on his face. "You're not dealing with an   
amateur here, Mr. Kerry."  
  
"You have a point." His smile faltered slightly. "In   
fact, I think you're pretty amazing. I only wish...."  
  
"What?" she asked, when he didn't complete the sentence.  
  
"I just wish I knew if I was-um-well -- married or   
anything," he said.  
  
"Oh," was all she said, but the meaning behind Charlie's   
remark was clear. "Well, once you get your memory back,   
we'll find out."  
  
"Yeah." He dropped his gaze and reached for the door   
handle. "I guess we'd better get to the press conference."  
  
"I guess so." She opened her door and got out, frowning at   
the mess on the left fender of the Cherokee. She was going   
to have to wash that off as soon as she could before it   
dried on and nothing could get it off without damage to the   
paint, she thought, irrelevantly. That was definitely on   
the agenda as soon as they got back to the city.  
  
She cussed softly to herself. Normally, when there was a   
demonstration, she tried to see both sides of the issue in   
question but this time her sympathies were definitely not   
with a bunch of suicidal protestors. Besides, they had   
egged her beloved Jeep and thereby put themselves beyond   
forgiveness.  
  
She was aware that she was trying to avoid thinking about   
Charlie's remark. As they walked side by side across the   
lot, Lois stole a glance at her companion. His expression   
was hard to read but the tightness of his jaw told her that   
he wasn't as relaxed as his posture might lead someone else   
to assume. He might be regretting having said what he had,   
she thought. Charlie was an honorable guy. He wouldn't   
try to make any advances toward her unless he knew that he   
was free to do so. The fact that she was so certain of   
that was almost a surprise in itself. She didn't trust   
many people but he'd shown her in the short time she'd   
known him that he was worthy of that trust.  
  
In a way, she felt relieved at the thought. Her previous   
relationships with members of the opposite sex had turned   
into federal disasters, one way or another. She didn't   
want that to happen again, especially with Charlie, or to   
lose the easy friendship they had developed since she had   
known him. Still, being treated like a sister by a man as   
attractive as Charlie didn't hold the appeal she had   
imagined it would. The question about his marital status   
was one that she would like to resolve -- eventually,   
anyhow.  
  
Well, no one had any way of knowing if there would be a   
future for any of them after tomorrow. She might as well   
shelve the question for the time being, she decided. If   
they managed to avert the current crisis, she could think   
about it, then. That put the possible dilemma safely in   
the future. Besides, if he wasn't from Earth, maybe it   
wouldn't matter. With that somewhat reassuring   
rationalization, she filed the problem away for future   
reference. Concentrating on the job at hand was more   
important.  
  
The location of the press conference was the same as   
before. The members of the press jockeyed for the best   
positions from which to hurl questions at the speakers and   
then shifted about, waiting impatiently for those same   
speakers to arrive. Lois found her neighbor to be Phil   
Morrison from the Star on one side and Linda King of the   
Herald on the other. She made a point of ignoring Linda as   
if she didn't exist. Linda and she hadn't spoken since the   
day in college when she had discovered the woman's theft of   
her story. The theft had been an effort on Linda's part to   
win the approval of their campus paper's editor, Paul. It   
had succeeded, but at the cost of her friendship with Lois.  
  
Linda, as usual, tossed her red-dyed hair and looked away   
as well, but Lois could see her beady eyes widen as they   
focussed on Charlie. She stepped forward and extended a   
hand. "Linda King, Metropolis Herald. You are...?"  
  
"Charles Kerry," Charlie said, mindful of his instructions.   
"From the Daily Planet."  
  
"I don't think I've seen you before," Linda said.  
  
Lois gritted her teeth. It figured. Linda couldn't just   
stick to her own business. She had to try to horn in on   
Lois's territory as brazenly as she had seven years ago.   
The problem was, men were usually completely taken in.   
Male hormones, she thought. Somehow, they always seemed to   
think the woman was attractive. She glared at Linda,   
trying to project a silent warning.  
  
Charlie glanced at Lois, a faint look of surprise on his   
face. "I -- um, I'm new," he said, giving Linda's hand a   
quick shake. "Mr. White wouldn't have sent me if there had   
been anyone else."  
  
Linda's expression of interest sharpened and she opened her   
mouth to speak. Fortunately, General Zeitlin, accompanied   
by Professor Daitch, had appeared and now climbed to the   
podium. Lois nudged Charlie and directed his attention to   
the two men. She would have to warn him about Linda after   
the conference, she decided. The little sneak was utterly   
without scruples. Without his memory, Charlie would have   
no idea how to defend himself against her.  
  
"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen of the press,"   
General Zeitlin's voice boomed out, accompanied by a   
terrific squeal of feedback. The general winced slightly   
and pulled back from the microphone. "Good afternoon," he   
repeated.  
  
The crowd of journalists fell silent, every eye fixed on   
the general. The man cleared his throat.  
  
"As you know, we called this press conference to keep the   
American people updated on the current emergency." The   
general hesitated. "Professor Daitch?"  
  
Daitch stepped up to the microphone. "The fragments of the   
Nightfall Asteroid are continuing on course, as might be   
expected," he said. "Revised calculations place their   
arrival at approximately six-oh-three tomorrow evening,   
somewhere in the Pacific Ocean."  
  
"Can't you place it more closely?" Linda King called.   
"Will it be in the northern or southern hemisphere?"  
  
Daitch seemed somewhat nonplused. "Um -- there is a   
scattering of fragments," he explained. "Some will miss us   
entirely. The largest fragment -- the one we're most   
worried about -- is certainly going to hit us, probably in   
the Southern Hemisphere, if we can't intercept it. There   
will be scattered strikes both north and south, and   
possibly a few will hit land. These will be relatively   
minor in comparison to the largest one, which is the target   
of the Asgard rocket."  
  
"When is the rocket being launched?" someone wanted to   
know. "It seems dangerous to wait until it's right on top   
of us."  
  
Daitch hesitated. "General Zeitlin will answer that   
question," he said, and stepped back.  
  
Zeitlin nodded. "Thank you, Professor. The Asgard rocket   
was launched yesterday from the EPRAD base in Houston,   
under the guise of a weather satellite." He dropped the   
information in an almost casual tone and waited while the   
inevitable swell of voices had died down. "I'm sure all of   
you saw the demonstration at the gate when you arrived. We   
needed to avoid such confusion and possible attempts at   
sabotage since there isn't a margin for error, this time.   
The launch window and the location of the launch itself   
were deliberately misstated in order to avoid the problems   
that would have inevitably arisen. It's on its way, ladies   
and gentlemen of the press. It should intercept the   
fragment in question in about twenty-four hours, inside the   
moon's orbit."   
  
**********  
  
"That's awfully close to Earth," Charlie was saying some   
time later as they walked back toward the Cherokee. "I   
wonder why they had to wait until it was so close."  
  
Lois shrugged. "I don't know. I hope they know what   
they're doing."  
  
"So do I." Charlie hitched his shoulders uncomfortably.   
"If they miss, Nightfall will hit about four hours later."  
  
"I hate to admit it," Lois said, "but I'm scared."  
  
"Yeah. So am I." Charlie looked involuntarily up at the   
sky. "I don't know why I'm looking. There's nothing to   
see."  
  
"Not yet." They approached the Jeep and Lois unlocked her   
door. "I don't want it to get close enough to see."  
  
"Yeah." Charlie went around to the passenger side and   
waited until she pulled the locking button on his door.   
"Lois, do you really think I had something to do with   
breaking up the asteroid?"  
  
"Yes, I do." She started the engine. "I think you're   
responsible for a lot of so-called miracles that have   
happened in the last eight years. You read that list Jimmy   
dredged up."  
  
"Yeah, I did." He was closely studying his hands, folded   
tightly in his lap. "I have to admit, it looks kind of   
like it. But how about that one where the guy swore a   
flying man pulled him out of an explosion? You don't   
really believe that stuff, do you?"  
  
Lois shook her head. "I doubt it. You know, the   
authorities decided he'd hit his head when the explosion   
somehow threw him free and his imagination most likely   
supplied an explanation for the miraculous escape.   
Somehow, I can't quite make myself believe in a man who can   
fly under his own power, unless he's got some kind of anti-  
gravity device. I suppose that could be possible if you're   
from another planet."  
  
"I guess. But I don't have any of that stuff, Lois. If I   
*do* have a space ship somewhere, I don't have any idea   
where it is."  
  
Both were silent while she maneuvered the Cherokee out of   
the lot but Lois's mind continued to circle endlessly about   
the puzzle of Charlie and his unearthly abilities. When   
they pulled onto the highway again, she spoke. "Did you   
notice that most of the early incidents on that list and a   
lot of the ones in the last year happened in the Midwest?   
It's like you were there for a while, traveled for a couple   
of years and then went back there again. What would you   
have been doing in the Midwest?"  
  
He shrugged. "I have no idea."  
  
"Well, I think you were living there. It's logical that   
you'd establish yourself somewhere like that. Someplace   
where there aren't so many people, maybe -- and where you   
could move around without people watching everything you   
did."  
  
"I don't know about that," Charlie said. "I'd think that   
if anything, I'd have picked the city if I wanted to move   
around without being noticed. In small towns, everybody   
knows everything about everybody else."  
  
"How do you know that?"  
  
Charlie paused, frowning. "I don't know," he said. "It   
just seems to make sense."  
  
"I think it's because you know some small town, somewhere,"   
she said. "I think I'm right. So, you probably live   
somewhere in this country, possibly in a small town in the   
Midwest. Somehow, you ended up in Metropolis, night before   
last, without your memory."  
  
Charlie was silent a few moments, absorbing that. "And   
this is leading up to...?" he said.  
  
"I don't know, really," Lois said. "I'm just trying to   
figure out as much as I can. Maybe something will jog your   
memory. When we get back to the office, I'm going to try   
to chart all the events in the last year on a map. Maybe   
we can figure out which part of the Midwest you've been   
living in."  
  
"And maybe we should check with your friend, Inspector   
Henderson," Charlie suggested. "I might be on a missing   
person report from somewhere, if anyone's reported that I'm   
missing."  
  
"Maybe," Lois agreed. "Only, if it's just been since night   
before last, it might not have reached Metropolis yet. The   
lines have been pretty much jammed. Still, the police   
might have priority over the rest of us."  
  
"There's probably been a lot of people who've disappeared   
in the last couple of days," Charlie said, sounding   
discouraged. "It seems like the whole world has lost its   
collective mind."  
  
"No, just its collective hope," Lois said. "People are   
afraid. *I'm* afraid, Charlie. I don't want to die."  
  
"Whatever happens, I won't let you die," he said. "I   
promise you that, Lois."  
  
"You won't, if you can prevent it," she said, "but my world   
will be gone. Everything we've known will be gone. And a   
lot of people are going to die, no matter what you do.   
Even *you* can't be everywhere, Charlie, no matter how fast   
and strong you may be."  
  
"In other words, if my job really is to stop Nightfall, I'd   
better figure out how to do it," Charlie said. "If I can   
remember."  
  
"Charlie...." Lois saw the light ahead of her turn yellow   
and began to apply the brake. "The dream where you   
remembered the jet...."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You dreamed you were on a farm. Was there anyone else in   
the dream?"  
  
He frowned, obviously striving to remember. "I don't know.   
You know how you forget dreams after you wake up. I don't   
really remember anymore. It seems like there might have   
been, but --"  
  
"Yeah." Lois brought the car to a stop. From the corner   
of her eye, she caught motion but ignored it. "So we don't   
know if anyone would be reporting you missing.'  
  
"I guess not...Lois!" His exclamation startled her. Then   
she felt the knife blade pressed to her throat.  
  
"You!" a deep voice said. "Get out or the lady gets it."  
  
**********  
  
Lois froze. They were being carjacked. Why not? she   
thought, irrelevantly. Everything else that could go wrong   
had happened in the last two days. The blade of the knife   
dug into the skin of her throat and she could feel the   
muscular strength of the arm that held her tightly against   
her attacker.  
  
Charlie moved slowly to unfasten his seatbelt. If he let   
the man into the car, she was well aware that the chances   
of her surviving this were slight. The carjacker's breath   
was hot on the back of her neck and she wrinkled her nose   
involuntarily at the odor.  
  
"Charlie...."  
  
"Shut up!" The arm clutched her more tightly. "Do what   
you're told and you'll live through this. Move it,   
'Charlie'! Get outta the car!"  
  
Charlie unfastened the seatbelt and reached for the door   
handle, all in slow motion. Lois closed her eyes in   
despair.  
  
The knife was suddenly yanked from her throat and a yell of   
fury from her assailant made her eyes fly open. Charlie   
was gripping the hand that held the knife with his left   
hand and had the man's other forearm held in an equally   
iron grasp. He literally peeled the carjacker's arms away   
from her with inexorable strength.  
  
"Lois," he said, quietly, "can you climb over me, please?   
I don't think we should let this one go, do you?"  
  
Mutely, she shook her head, squirmed around and managed to   
crawl across the gearshift and Charlie's lap, letting him   
slide over into the driver's seat.  
  
Charlie had an expression on his face that would have made   
her giggle if she'd been in any mood to do so. It was   
stern and serious, his jaw was set, and it reminded her of   
all the imaginary heroes from the Lone Ranger to Zorro,   
that she had ever read about. Charlie was deadly serious,   
and if she was any judge, angry as well.  
  
The carjacker turned captive tried to jerk free, but he   
might as well have been struggling with a python. Charlie   
didn't even react. With clinical precision, he released   
the carjacker's arm and grasped the wrist of his knife   
hand. The man struck at Charlie's face with his suddenly   
free fist, without result. Or maybe, Lois thought a second   
later, it was simply a different result than he had   
expected. She heard the smack of knuckles on bone and the   
carjacker howled in pain, shaking his injured hand.   
Charlie ignored the blow as if it hadn't happened. He   
simply contracted his own hand in a paralyzing squeeze on   
the imprisoned wrist. The man's fingers opened   
involuntarily and Charlie gently removed the knife from his   
grasp, blade-first, dropping it to the floor of the Jeep.  
  
"What do you want to do with him?" Lois asked.  
  
"I think we should drive him to a police station," Charlie   
said, mildly. If she hadn't seen the flash of anger in his   
eyes before he'd brought it under control, she'd have been   
completely fooled. "I'm sure they can stash him somewhere   
safe until this Nightfall thing is over. Why don't I get   
into the back seat with him and you can drive. You know   
where things are better than I do. Don't worry; he's not   
going anywhere."  
  
Lois had no difficulty believing that. She found herself   
nodding agreement. The carjacker glared at Charlie. "I'll   
get you for this!"  
  
"Maybe," Charlie agreed. "But not today. I'm the lady's   
bodyguard -- and I take my job very seriously."  
  
**********   
  
The drive to the 13th Street police station was   
accomplished in twenty minutes, mostly in silence --   
"mostly", because their captive occupied the first few   
minutes in the rear seat cursing steadily at Charlie.   
Charlie finally gave him a gentle shake and told him to be   
quiet or he'd gag him with his own shirt. Apparently, the   
man believed him, because he'd fallen silent for the   
remainder of the trip.  
  
The police station was nearly empty when they arrived.   
Lois opened the frosted glass door for Charlie to herd his   
unwilling companion through and looked around the almost   
empty room. The station was nearly silent. The only   
officer in sight was Robert Gunderson, the desk sergeant,   
but he recognized Lois at once, as might have been   
expected, she reflected. Gunderson and she had had a few   
reasonably amicable, professional run-ins in the past. He   
glanced at Charlie and his captive and looked back to Lois   
for an explanation.  
  
"This guy tried to carjack me, with a knife," Lois said.   
"If it weren't for Charlie, I'd probably be dead."  
  
Gunderson eyed the culprit with a sardonic expression. His   
eyebrows went up. "Well, well! Harry Broder, as I live   
and breathe," he said, dryly. "Up to your old tricks   
again, Harry?"  
  
Broder glared back. "I got nothin' to say."  
  
Gunderson stuck two fingers in his mouth and produced a   
shrill whistle. "Young! Get in here!"  
  
A youthful police officer with one arm in a cast, appeared.   
"You called, Sarge?"  
  
"Yeah, read this guy his rights and lock him up for the   
time being, then take Ms. Lane's report. You can book him   
later." He glanced back at Lois. "We're a bit short-  
handed, what with the emergency."  
  
"I gathered that when I ran into Henderson this morning,"   
Lois said. "He was covering for one of the regular police   
patrols."  
  
"We got everybody working double shifts," Gunderson said.   
"I don't know what we're gonna do if that thing really hits   
us."  
  
"With luck, it won't," Lois said. "The Asgard rocket is   
already on its way."  
  
"Good luck to it -- and all of us," Gunderson said. "You,   
Charlie, is it? Would you mind helpin' Young take Harry   
back to the lockup? He broke a wrist in one of the riots   
last night."  
  
"No problem," Charlie said. He nodded at Young. "Lead the   
way, Officer."  
  
The three disappeared through a door in the rear of the   
room. Gunderson pointed down an adjoining hall. "Go on in   
there, Ms. Lane. Young's desk is by the door. He'll be in   
to take your complaint in a few minutes."  
  
**********  
  
Some twenty minutes later, Lois and Charlie were ready to   
leave. Charlie had given his statement as a witness and   
Young had retrieved Harry's knife from the floor of the   
Cherokee. Charlie started to open the door of the police   
station for Lois only to have it pulled open by someone   
entering from the outside. Inspector William Henderson,   
followed by a uniformed officer, stepped within. He raised   
an eyebrow at Lois. "Here to check the missing person   
reports, Lois?"  
  
"Actually, I'd forgotten about that," she admitted. "A man   
tried to carjack my Jeep and Charlie stopped him. Do you   
have the time to check them now?"  
  
Henderson shrugged. "Sure, why not? Come with me."  
  
They followed him toward his office. Charlie glanced at   
Lois with one eyebrow up. "They seem to know you around   
here," he said in a low voice.  
  
"Yeah, sort of," Lois admitted, her voice equally soft.   
"Henderson and I have sort of been sparring partners for a   
few years. Then, a few months ago, I broke the case of a   
scientist at EPRAD who was sabotaging the space program for   
profit. Jimmy and I barely got out alive. Henderson   
thinks I'm too reckless and told me so in so many words."   
She grinned. "He nearly arrested me for trespassing after   
I sneaked into EPRAD to investigate what was being done to   
the Messenger rocket to find out why it exploded, but he   
let me off because I *did* save the space program, after   
all."  
  
"What did you do?" Charlie asked.  
  
"I found a bomb on the shuttle that was taking the   
colonists up to the space station and managed to alert   
Mission Control before they fired the rockets. They were   
able to launch with only a slight delay. The hitch, of   
course, was that I was on the shuttle without   
authorization. Fortunately, EPRAD declined to press   
charges, since I'd alerted them to the emergency.   
Everything worked out okay."  
  
"I guess so," Charlie said, thoughtfully. "Your life   
sounds kind of -- exciting, to say the least."  
  
"My mother tells me I'm driving her to an early grave,"   
Lois said. "I've come through alive so far, though."  
  
Charlie didn't say anything but he cast a skeptical glance   
at her. Lois briefly thought of challenging him but   
decided against it, considering Henderson's presence ahead   
of them. The detective opened the door of his office and   
waved them through.  
  
"Give me a couple of minutes and I'll pull the latest ones   
up for you," he said. "Sit down." He dropped into his   
seat and rotated his chair to face the slightly older   
computer that occupied the spot. Lois glanced around and   
found a place on the battered sofa sitting against one   
wall. Charlie settled down beside her. He had been   
sticking closer to her than ever since the carjacking   
attempt, she thought. Still, that wasn't such a bad thing.   
Having a super-powered man looking out for your welfare   
definitely had its advantages. Especially one who looked   
like Charlie. Even with the heavy stubble on his face, his   
appearance was one to make any woman give him a second look   
as well as a third and a fourth.  
  
"We only have five reports of missing persons," Henderson   
said, suddenly. "Three women, one guy about seventy years   
old and an eighteen year old kid. I guess no one's   
reported Charlie, yet -- at least, to us."  
  
"Only five?" Lois asked. "How is that possible."  
  
Henderson just looked at her. "I think that's obvious,   
don't you?"  
  
Of course, it was. The fear that had gripped the planet   
since the discovery of Nightfall was disrupting a great   
many things. Lower priorities, such as missing persons,   
took second place to keeping the entire structure of   
civilization from disintegrating around them. The police   
in most places were concentrating on maintaining a   
semblance of order among the frightened citizens. Hadn't   
she thought, a few days earlier, that panicky human beings   
were more likely to destroy the world before Nightfall ever   
arrived? Most people were probably keeping their heads but   
there were enough who weren't to keep the police fully   
occupied for the time being. Not to mention, those like   
Harry Broder who were taking advantage of the situation for   
their own purposes.  
  
She nodded, reluctantly. "I suppose so. Thanks for taking   
the time to check, though. I appreciate it."  
  
Henderson's right eyebrow went up. "No insults? Are you   
feeling all right, Lois?"  
  
She made a feeble attempt at a smile. "Not really, Bill.   
If everything turns out all right after all, I'll go back   
to insulting you then, if you don't mind. I'm just not up   
to it right now."  
  
The man's expression changed. His mouth twisted, wryly.   
"I don't think I could take it if Mad Dog Lane gave up the   
fight," he said, in a completely different tone. "Hang in   
there, will you Lois? Even if that thing in the sky hits,   
Metropolis will survive. It's people like you who will   
*make* it survive, if worst comes to worst."  
  
"He's right, you know," Charlie said. "You're the kind of   
person who makes things happen. You've proven that to me   
in the last couple of days."  
  
Lois felt her eyes prickling with the threat of tears. The   
strain, and her doubts and downright fears for the future   
that had been weighing on her for the last three days were   
suddenly almost too much for her self-control. All her   
adult life she had avoided dealing with real emotions, her   
own and others. It was so much easier to hide behind her   
work, or a facade of anger or humor; even the light   
sparring in which she and Henderson engaged whenever they   
met. Honest feelings were uncomfortable things, best left   
buried, but it was at times like this one, when people let   
down their guard, that they often unexpectedly emerged.  
  
Someone put a handkerchief into her hands. She looked up   
to see Bill Henderson, his dark, saturnine face   
unexpectedly concerned, and became aware that tears were   
rolling silently down her cheeks. Charlie had reached out   
to take her hand, and was glancing from her to Henderson   
and back again, obviously unsure what to do. She gulped   
and dabbed at her eyes.  
  
"Sorry," she muttered. "I'm okay."  
  
Henderson gave a crooked smile. "It's reassuring to know   
that even Lois Lane is human," he said, dryly. "We're   
going to make it, Lois. The human race is tougher than you   
think. Whether that thing hits us or not, we'll survive   
and come back stronger than ever. It's people like you who   
make me sure of that."  
  
"That's a funny thing for a cop to say," she managed.  
  
He turned away to cross the floor to the water cooler in   
the corner of his office. An instant later, he returned   
with a paper cup. "Here, drink this. No, not really. A   
good cop has to be an optimist in the long run, or he   
wouldn't be in the job. If he didn't have hope for the   
good, honest, hard-working people he protects, he'd burn   
out. It's just sometimes hard to see the optimism in the   
middle of all the negative things he has to deal with, but   
it's still there, underneath. An investigative reporter   
isn't so different. If you didn't have hope, you'd be   
doing something else."  
  
Henderson was right, she was thinking a few minutes later,   
as she and Charlie walked out to the Jeep. Hope was a hard   
thing to kill. It might sink and hide for a while, but it   
never quite died. There was still hope that Charlie would   
remember enough before it was too late. And the Asgard   
rocket had pretty good odds, too. She shouldn't discount   
it yet, even if shooting asteroids hadn't been its original   
purpose. The Earth had more than a fighting chance. She   
wasn't giving up yet.  
  
**********  
  
The office was quiet when they arrived back at the Planet.   
Perry, Jimmy and Cat were still there and, while Lois and   
Charlie had been gone, they had been joined by Eduardo and   
Madeline, the fashion editor. The five were grouped around   
the monitors, watching the LNN newscast. The progress of   
the Asgard rocket in relation to the asteroid was showing   
on the screen as they entered, with a countdown   
superimposed across the bottom of the picture. Lois   
grimaced at the numbers: 26 hours, 37 minutes and 53   
seconds, counting down as she watched.  
  
With difficulty, she pulled her gaze away from the sight.   
She had work to do. Watching the approach of Armageddon   
wouldn't help.  
  
Her companion was watching the screen, too, an expression   
she couldn't quite read on his face. Charlie was afraid,   
but the fear was almost hidden by one of pure, helpless   
frustration.  
  
"Charlie?" she said, "is something wrong?"  
  
He turned to look at her, trying to compose his features as   
he did.  
  
"I just have this feeling there's something I can do -- if   
I can just remember!" The vehemence of the words was not   
diminished in the least by the low tone in which he spoke.   
"It's like everything is there on the other side of a wall   
that I can't break down! Lois, I don't want this to   
happen! I guess I don't have to tell you that. What's it   
going to be like if you're right, if I remember when it's   
too late, and realize I could have stopped all this?"  
  
She reached out to touch his arm. "I know, Charlie. I   
don't remember much about psychology, but I remember the   
stuff they said about the subconscious. It doesn't reason;   
it just knows what it wants. I think your subconscious is   
just plain scared. It doesn't care if your conscious mind   
wants to help. It's afraid and won't let you remember."  
  
"Then, what am I going to do? I want to remember -- I want   
to help. How am I going to get around a part of my mind   
that won't cooperate?"  
  
"We're just going to have to keep trying. Maybe if we can   
find someone who knows about you; maybe if we can find   
where you've been living, someone there can help."  
  
Charlie nodded. "Maybe."  
  
"And, there's always the chance that your need to help will   
overcome the fear," Lois said, softly. "I think that's the   
kind of person you are, Charlie. I think you go out of   
your way to help other people. If you were responsible for   
even a tenth of those so-called miracles Jimmy dug up,   
there's no doubt of it. Let's go into the conference room.   
I want to try placing those incidents on a map and see if   
we can pinpoint where you come from -- maybe a town or a   
city. The police department there might have a missing   
persons report, even if Metropolis doesn't. Anything   
familiar might jog your memory."  
  
Charlie gathered up the stack of paper that Jimmy had left   
on Lois's desk. "Do you have a map?"  
  
"There's a computer in the conference room. We'll use   
that."  
  
**********  
  
"I think," Lois said, "that we'll stick with a map of the   
United States, and limit our incidents to the last two   
years."  
  
"Why two years?" Charlie asked.  
  
"We're trying to find the place where you've most likely   
been living most recently," she said. "I'm going to mark   
the incidents in color. The ones with eyewitnesses are   
going to be red, the ones where it was a probable will be   
blue and the maybes will be in yellow. We'll mark rumors   
in green."  
  
An hour later, Lois and Charlie were looking at a map of   
the United States speckled with dots of different colors.   
The incidents had occurred all over the country, but the   
pattern was clear. They clustered most thickly around the   
American Midwest, specifically Kansas. The red spots were   
few and scattered, as might be expected. Charlie was   
apparently fairly careful to avoid being seen by groups of   
people, but the farther away from the central cluster the   
event occurred, the more people had actually seen a man in   
connection with the odd events, such as the one involving   
the sky blue Lear jet at Metro Airfield. Even then, he'd   
been careful not to be seen doing anything out of the   
ordinary -- except for the very fact of the seeming   
miracle, itself.  
  
The blue, yellow and green dots appeared far more   
frequently, of course, but Lois could see the pattern   
clearly. She looked at Charlie. "I'd say you've been   
living somewhere in Kansas, Charlie. Does that sound   
familiar?"  
  
He shrugged. "Maybe. But how did I get to Metropolis, in   
that case?"  
  
"How did you get to any of these places, assuming that you   
were responsible for some of these things? You must have   
some kind of transportation that gets you places fast."  
  
"I wish I could find it, if I do." Charlie rubbed his   
face. "Can you expand the map? I'd like a closer look at   
that part of the country."  
  
"Sure." Lois clicked her cursor on the thickest collection   
of multicolored dots and the features of the country drew   
in close.  
  
"Hmm...Wichita's the biggest city in the area," Lois said.   
"And there are a bunch of small towns -- Hoxie, Oakley,   
Smallville, Ellis, Goodland...who on Earth would name a   
town Pepper? Does any of that sound familiar?"  
  
Charlie was staring at the map, his face contorted in a   
frown of concentration. "I...I'm not sure. Do you think   
you could find aerial photographs? I'd like to see what it   
really looks like, rather than just looking at a map."  
  
"Sure." Lois stood up and stretched, aware suddenly of how   
tense her neck and shoulders had become. Charlie was   
trying as hard as he could but time was growing so short.   
If the Asgard rocket, by some horrible twist of fate,   
missed its target, he might be Earth's last hope and he   
couldn't remember how to help. "I think Jimmy might have a   
better chance of finding them, though." She opened the   
door into the main newsroom. "Jimmy, could you come here   
for a minute?"  
  
The Planet's gofer hoisted himself from his chair. He'd   
been flicking paperclips at the nearest trashcan and the   
little silver clips lay scattered all around his target.   
Lois held the door for him as he entered the conference   
room.   
  
"What's up?" he asked.  
  
"You're the computer whiz kid around here. We need some   
aerial maps of this part of the country." She waved at the   
computer screen. "Can you find some for us?"  
  
He shrugged. "Sure, no problem. Why?"  
  
"We're trying to stimulate Charlie's memory. He says he   
remembers flying a lot. He may have been a pilot." She   
was aware that the explanation was incomplete but Jimmy   
seemed to accept it.  
  
"The Planet's database has aerial photos of the whole   
country," he said, sliding into the chair in front of the   
computer as he spoke. His fingers flew over the keys and a   
moment later a photo appeared on the screen. "There you   
go. If you need to look at any others, just go to the   
mapsite menu...see?" He demonstrated by minimizing the   
picture to reveal the printing behind it. "I designed it,"   
he added, with a touch of pride, restoring the photo as he   
spoke.  
  
"I didn't know that," Lois said. "Thanks, Jimmy. This is   
just what we needed."  
  
"Can I help with anything else?" Jimmy looked wistful.   
"It would be better than just sitting there watching the   
monitors count down."  
  
"If I think of something, I'll call you," Lois promised.   
"Right now, there doesn't seem to be much either of us can   
do except to try to jog Charlie's memory."  
  
"Well, maybe another hit on the head will bring it back,"   
Jimmy suggested. "It always works in the movies."  
  
"I don't think so," Lois said, making a face. "It seems to   
me something like that is more likely to cause damage than   
to help. Head injuries are nothing to sneeze at. People   
die of them all the time."  
  
"I guess," Jimmy agreed. "It doesn't really make much   
sense if you think about it." He turned to Charlie, who   
had leaned forward to examine the picture on the computer   
screen. "Recognize anything, Charlie?"  
  
Charlie was staring at the picture as if frozen in place.   
"I don't know," he said, but his voice lacked conviction.   
"I'm not sure, but it looks kind of familiar."  
  
"Maybe you're from the area," Jimmy suggested.  
  
"Maybe. Or he could have flown over it," Lois said. Some   
instinct she didn't even recognize led her to divert Jimmy   
from the question of Charlie's origin. "Lots of pictures   
taken from the air look alike. If Charlie's a pilot, he'd   
be used to seeing that kind of thing."  
  
"Yeah," Jimmy said. "Well, there are a lot of aerial   
photos there. If you need anything, let me know, okay?"  
  
"I will," Lois promised. She glanced out the window at the   
city, noting that the sunlight was almost completely   
blocked by the taller buildings. She glanced at the wall   
clock in surprise, noting that it was nearly five. At this   
time of the year, while the days were still getting   
shorter, the sun set not long after five o'clock. Winter   
solstice, and the first day of winter, was officially only   
three weeks away, and Christmas only a few days after that.   
Where would they be this Christmas, she wondered, dismally.   
Since her parents had broken up, Christmas had always been   
a burden for her more than anything else, but for most   
people it was a joyous time of year. If Nightfall hit,   
would people even celebrate Christmas?  
  
"Lois, I do recognize this picture," Charlie said,   
suddenly. "It's not just a similarity; I'm sure of it.   
I've seen it before. Oh, some of the stuff is different.   
That truck wasn't there, and that old farm building is gone   
now, but...."  
  
Lois had turned to the picture like a shot, barely noticing   
that Jimmy had left the room. "How can you see details   
like that? What truck?"  
  
"Here." He indicated an indistinct blob on one of the   
lines that Lois had figured was probably a dirt road.   
"This is a load of some kind of produce. It looks like the   
picture was taken in autumn."  
  
Lois clicked on one of the icons at the bottom of the   
picture. "October 1988," she confirmed. "How could you   
tell that, Charlie? I sure couldn't."  
  
He shrugged. "I can see it," he said. "When I focus   
really hard on something, it's like a magnifying glass, or   
something. I can't explain it."  
  
"And you've seen this place before?" She squinted at the   
caption. "Where is it?"   
  
Charlie didn't even have to squint to read the tiny   
lettering. "Smallville, Kansas," he said. "That's   
actually the town up there at the top of the picture. The   
rest of this is the surrounding countryside -- farms,   
mostly."  
  
"Farms," Lois said. "And you dreamed you were helping out   
on a farm. You don't think it was a memory, do you?"  
  
"Maybe. How can I tell? But, I know I've seen this part   
of the country before -- from the air."  
  
"Let's look at some of the other towns and nearby   
countryside," Lois suggested, after a few seconds. "Maybe   
it'll bring back more."  
  
"Sure." Charlie agreed. He turned to look at the picture   
again, and she saw him frown in concentration. "This farm   
here." He indicated it with an index finger. "There's   
something about it. I don't know...."  
  
Lois tried not to sound too eager. "What, Charlie?"  
  
He was silent for almost thirty seconds, frowning at the   
blurry picture. "Whatever it was, it's gone," he said,   
finally, and his tone was filled with restrained   
disappointment.   
  
"It's all right, Charlie." Lois laid a hand on his   
shoulder. "You almost remembered something. It's just a   
matter of time, now. I'm sure of it."  
  
He looked up at her. "Time is something we don't have much   
of," he said, quietly. "I wonder; could we get hold of a   
phone book for Smallville, Kansas? Maybe I'd recognize   
names if I saw them."  
  
"Maybe. I don't know if one would be available over the   
Internet," Lois said. "Jimmy would know. I'll ask him."  
  
"I wonder...." Charlie was still frowning. "Could we find   
out what newspapers they have out there? Local ones, I   
mean. If I know the town...."  
  
"You might recognize things in the newspaper," she agreed,   
trying not to sound too excited. "Aren't small town papers   
pretty much devoted to local news?"  
  
Charlie was nodding. "Lots of them are."  
  
Lois turned to open the conference room door and at that   
precise second the lights went out. All around the room,   
the low hum of the equipment that functioned on electricity   
died.  
  
For a second, the newsroom was completely silent and then a   
babble of voices arose as everyone in the room beyond tried   
to speak at once. Lois stopped in her tracks, waiting for   
her eyes to adjust. The conference room was dim, and only   
a pale glow of illumination shone through the window.   
While she and Charlie had been looking at the aerial photo   
of Smallville, the sun had dropped completely behind the   
buildings. Slowly she stepped back into the conference   
room and let the door swing shut.  
  
There was the scrape of a chair as Charlie shoved it   
backwards and stood up, his features dimly visible in the   
sudden gloom. "Power failure," he said, stating the   
obvious.   
  
Lois had an insane urge to scream. Just when it looked as   
if they were making progress, the Fates had decided to   
throw another obstacle in their path. Without power, the   
computers were useless. It seemed as if the great god   
Murphy was going overboard with his practical jokes today.  
  
Slowly, careful not to collide with anything in the   
dimness, Lois made her way to the window. The sight that   
met her eyes was genuinely calculated to make the chills   
crawl across the back of her neck.  
  
Except for the pale, fading colors of sunset in the western   
sky and the glow of headlights from the occasional lone   
car, the city was dark. No light shone from the windows of   
the towering buildings that graced Metropolis's skyline,   
the streetlights were out and none of the flashing,   
animated advertising signs that normally lit up the city's   
night were in evidence. Even as she watched, the traces of   
sunset were fading from the sky, plunging the streets into   
the deepest gloom. Metropolis was a shadow city inhabited   
by ghostly figures moving furtively through the increasing   
dimness below and it looked suddenly, although not   
unexpectedly, dangerous.  
  
Lois drew in a deep breath. "I've never seen Metropolis   
like this," she murmured. "It's eerie."  
  
"The moon will be up before long," Charlie said,   
practically. "It'll help. Do you have a flashlight?"  
  
"Yeah, in my purse. Why? Do you need it?"  
  
She could see him shake his head in the darkness of the   
room. "I know it's dark to you, but I can see fine. I was   
thinking about you trying to go home like this. It's going   
to be more dangerous than ever."   
  
"Well, I'm not going home for a while. Maybe they'll have   
the power back on before then."  
  
"I hope so. If they don't, I'm going with you. I can walk   
back here afterwards, or sleep in the bathtub or   
something."  
  
"Charlie, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."  
  
"I know you can," he said, sounding completely sincere.   
"The situation out there isn't normal right now, though.   
I'll feel better if I go with you, just to be sure you get   
home all right. Remember, I've been playing bodyguard for   
a couple of days now."  
  
And, he'd saved her life a couple of times, she reminded   
herself. Little though she might want to admit it, having   
Charlie with her definitely made her feel a lot safer than   
she would have, alone. "Okay, I guess you can come," she   
agreed, trying to sound reluctant. "I wouldn't want you to   
worry."  
  
Behind them, the door opened. Perry's voice said,   
"Everything okay in here?"  
  
"We're fine, Perry," Lois said. "Unfortunately, we lost   
all our data from the search I was running."  
  
"We're trying to find out what's happened," Perry said.   
"The phones are still working but they're jammed, of   
course. We can't get through to anyone who can tell us   
what's going on."  
  
"Of course," Lois said, her voice sounding flat. "Do you   
ever have the feeling you're swimming upstream?"  
  
"Huh?" Perry sounded slightly confused. "Yeah, sometimes.   
Look, Lois, I know it's almost time to head home but I   
don't want you goin' out on the streets alone right now.   
Charlie can stay here again tonight, and I'll drive you to   
your place in a bit."  
  
"Charlie's taking me home in a little while, Perry. I'll   
be fine."  
  
There was a slight pause. "Okay, I guess that'll be all   
right. I'll leave word with Security that they're to let   
you in when they get back, Charlie."  
  
"Thanks, Mr. White," Charlie said.  
  
"That's okay, Chief," Lois said. "I'm going to let him   
sleep on my couch. That way he'll be there to bring me   
back in the morning. I trust him. We spent last night   
alone in the Jeep, after all."  
  
"Yeah, I guess you did," Perry agreed. "You keep her safe,   
you hear me, Charlie?"  
  
"Yes, sir," Charlie said.  
  
"We're not leaving yet," Lois said. "Has anybody got a   
radio with batteries?"  
  
"We're checking around," Perry said. "Nobody in the   
newsroom does, but I sent Jimmy to look around the   
building."  
  
"I'm going to try the phones. Maybe I'll be lucky and get   
through," Lois said. "Miracles have happened before.   
Charlie can try, too. He can use Norman's desk."  
  
Her boss shrugged. "Okay by me. I haven't seen Norman for   
two days."  
  
"Maybe he's with his family," Charlie ventured.  
  
"More likely at the nearest bar," Lois said, unkindly.   
"Come on, pal, we have work to do."  
  
"Do the phones still work with the power out?" Charlie   
asked.  
  
"Of course they do," Lois said. "This is a newspaper,   
remember."  
  
Perry held the door for them. "They installed a new PBX   
system for our phones last year," he explained. "The   
phones don't have a dial tone, and won't ring without   
power, but you can call outside."  
  
"Oh," Charlie said.   
  
**********  
  
The phone lines were still jammed an hour later. The   
congestion had been slowly clearing over the last day, but   
the power outage had undoubtedly sent the residents of   
Metropolis scurrying back to their phones, trying to find   
out what was wrong and when the problem was going to clear   
itself up. As a result, attempting to get through on a   
phone line was virtually an exercise in futility. Lois put   
down the receiver with more force than was strictly   
necessary and muttered a cuss word under her breath.   
Charlie glanced at her with a faint smile and she reminded   
herself how acute his ears were.  
  
She looked around the room. From somewhere, Perry had   
dredged up a kerosene lantern, although its origin remained   
a mystery. Eduardo had unearthed one of his precious   
meditation candles and set it on the table by the coffee   
machine and Jimmy had appeared half an hour before with an   
old, battery-powered radio and another lantern, this one a   
Coleman, which he had inexplicably come across in one of   
the storerooms. He'd departed a few minutes afterwards on   
a quest for batteries and had not yet returned.  
  
"If Jimmy doesn't get back with some batteries in a few   
minutes, I'm going home," she announced. "The power will   
probably be back on in a few hours, anyway."  
  
Jimmy stepped out of the stairway at that moment. "Found   
some!" he announced, triumphantly, waving two D-cells.   
"Barry Jones left his flashlight down at the soda machine.   
I'll have to get him some more, later."  
  
"Great," Lois said. "Let's see if we can find out what's   
going on."  
  
The radio reception wasn't the best but eventually they   
found a reasonably clear frequency. Someone was reporting   
on the progress of the Asgard rocket, and then about the   
fact that the Metropolis International Airport was closed   
down. Planes were being diverted to Chicago. Finally, an   
update on the blackout informed them that power was   
reported to be out on the entire eastern seaboard. It   
appeared that a fire in a transformer in New Jersey had   
thrown the power load on the rest of the system and caused   
a cascading overload. Lois listened in silence. The   
entire power system was down. It just figured, she   
thought. As if they weren't having enough difficulties,   
this had to happen on top of it. It was probably part and   
parcel with everything else that was going on, caused by   
the Nightfall situation, but she could have done without it   
at just this moment. She picked up her purse and went to   
take her coat from the rack.  
  
"Perry, I'm going home. I'll see you in the morning. Come   
on, Charlie."   
  
**********  
  
Her apartment was both dark and cold when she unlocked the   
door to it twenty minutes later. Unlike the Daily Planet,   
she had nothing approaching a kerosene lantern but there   
were several candles in one of the drawers in her tiny   
kitchen and she made her way to it, guided by the light of   
the flashlight that she kept in her purse for emergencies.  
  
Charlie apparently didn't need any such help. He moved   
about sure-footedly in a way that reminded her that he   
could see almost as well in the dark as he could by day and   
she envied him the ability, wondering at the same time what   
and where his origins might be that granted him such varied   
and extraordinary talents. Were there others like him who   
had the same skills, wherever he came from? Were there   
others like him here on Earth? If there were, maybe they   
would step in to save the Earth in his place.  
  
She thought about that while she was lighting the first   
candle and decided that it wasn't something she could count   
on. The question of why Charlie was here occurred to her   
at least once an hour and so far she had come up with about   
a million conflicting theories but nothing that made much   
sense.  
  
If he were some kind of alien invader, for instance, he   
certainly wasn't doing much of a job of conquering Earth.   
In fact, quite the opposite; he seemed to have gone out of   
his way to help rather than harm. Surely, though, he   
wouldn't have come here to play the part of some kind of   
secret, super-powered Good Samaritan, would he? That   
seemed like a pretty corny idea. The comics were full of   
guys like that, and she'd never bought the premise; it   
seemed silly.  
  
So, discarding that particular scenario, what the heck was   
Charlie doing here?  
  
"Charlie," she said, abruptly, "didn't you say that in your   
dream you were a kid, helping on a farm?"  
  
"Yeah," Charlie said. "Why?"  
  
"Is it possible you did grow up on a farm -- maybe that   
farm you were pointing to in the photo?"  
  
"I guess it's possible," Charlie said, somewhat doubtfully.   
"Why?"  
  
"I guess I'm still trying to figure out why you're here.   
We kind of thought you've been on Earth for several years   
but that you arrived as an adult. But what if you got here   
as a child?"  
  
"What makes you think that?" Charlie asked.  
  
"It makes more sense," Lois said. "You know, you're   
definitely not an ordinary man, but you speak with a   
Midwestern accent and I can't make sense of why you're   
here, otherwise. Unless you're some kind of interplanetary   
cop or something."  
  
Charlie made a face. "I don't think so. But if I grew up   
here, how do I get to so many places so fast? How did I   
get to Metropolis? What was that fireball that made the   
crater where you found me?"  
  
Lois carefully fitted the candle into a candleholder and   
set it in the middle of her kitchen table. "I don't know.   
There's something I'm missing, obviously, but I'm not wrong   
about the fact that you aren't ordinary and you turned up   
just now in a completely weird way. I don't think that was   
a coincidence, Charlie. I think that you can save us from   
Nightfall, somehow. I just wish I could connect all the   
dots."  
  
Charlie looked uncomfortable but her words had obviously   
made an impression on him, for he didn't dismiss them out   
of hand as he had done before. "I wish I could tell you,   
Lois," he said, slowly. "I want to help; believe me, I do.   
I want to know where I came from, and what I'm doing here -  
- if I have a family: parents, or brothers and sisters.   
It's pretty scary not knowing. I want to know if I have a   
wife or kids someplace. Most of all, I don't want to   
remember too late to do any good." He reached out to take   
the second candle from her hands and she saw him frown.   
The wick sizzled slightly and a little flame sprang   
magically to life. "We have less than twenty-four hours,"   
he said. "I have to remember soon or it won't matter." He   
turned to look out the window and Lois involuntarily   
followed his gaze.  
  
The darkness was eerie. Above the lightless city, the   
stars blazed down in unfamiliar patterns. The moon was   
rising, but its light was cold and unfriendly. Out in   
space somewhere, a chunk of rock, three miles across, was   
hurtling toward their nearly defenseless planet, and all   
that stood between them and disaster was a single rocket   
armed with a nuclear warhead on its way to a violent   
rendezvous. There was too much emptiness out there, Lois   
thought, and she gave an involuntary shiver. Yes, the   
Asgard rocket had been programmed to intercept the   
asteroid, but so many things could go wrong.  
  
Charlie shook himself suddenly. "I think you're right,   
Lois," he said, abruptly. "I think there *is* something I   
can do. Every time you say that, I get this *feeling* that   
I should be doing something and it scares the heck out of   
me. Whatever it is, I'd do it, if I could remember."  
  
"Which is why you can't," she said. "Your subconscious   
mind is scared silly of what you'd have to do if you   
remembered. At least, that's what I think."  
  
"So do I." He reached out to take the second candle holder   
from the table and fitted the candle into it, oblivious of   
the hot wax that was dripping onto his fingers. "Maybe I   
should go see Dr. Friskin again, tomorrow. Maybe it will   
help."  
  
"Maybe," Lois said. She picked up the candle from the   
kitchen table and turned toward the living room. "Let's   
find you a place to sleep. My couch really isn't suited   
for somebody of your size. If I put down blankets and a   
pillow, would you be able to sleep on the rug?"  
  
"Sure," he said, automatically. "Don't worry about me."  
  
She glanced back at him as he followed her. His mouth was   
tight, and she could see the strain in his face. She set   
the candle down and turned to face him. "Look, we're not   
beaten yet. Why don't we see if we can get some rest?   
Tomorrow we can try to get hold of a phone book for   
Smallville, and maybe a copy of their newspaper, whatever   
it's called. If the power isn't on by tomorrow, we can get   
in the Jeep and drive west. Sooner or later we'll get out   
of the blacked out area. There's bound to be a library   
where we can find a computer and go online."  
  
His expression relaxed slightly. "You think of   
everything."  
  
"I wish I did," Lois said. "I'm doing the best I can, just   
like you are."  
  
Charlie grinned reluctantly. "If all reporters could think   
like you, the quality of news reporting would be a lot   
higher," he said, unexpectedly. "I wish I'd met you a long   
time ago."  
  
"Funny, I was thinking the same thing about you." Lois   
looked down. "Maybe things would have been different."   
She inhaled deeply and forcibly shook off the unaccustomed   
mood. "Enough of the 'what ifs'. What time is it? I   
can't read my watch in this light."  
  
He glanced at her watch. "A few minutes after seven.   
Shall I go out and get us something to eat -- if anything's   
open, that is?"  
  
She shook her head, aware of a sense of uneasiness that she   
would never admit to him. "My supplies are kind of low but   
I'm sure we can find something here. I think I have some   
peanut butter and jelly. With the power out, I can't cook   
anything."  
  
His face took on an odd expression. "I'll fix us   
something, if you'd like some hot food. I seem to have a   
source of power, even if it's not conventional."  
  
The idea hadn't even occurred to her but, thinking about   
it, it seemed obvious. "Your heat vision! I hadn't   
thought of that! Do you think you can?"  
  
"Well, I lit this candle a few minutes ago. I think I can   
manage."  
  
Suddenly the answer to a question that had been bothering   
her for two days popped into her head. "I've got it!"  
  
"Got what?"  
  
"That's how you shave!"  
  
He stared at her, speechless, for several seconds. "Are   
you serious?"  
  
"Sure! Look at it my way for a minute. Nothing we can buy   
from the drugstore will cut your beard but you were clean-  
shaven when we first met, so you obviously shave. Do you   
think you could control your heat vision gizmo well enough?   
I wouldn't want you to burn yourself."  
  
"I guess I can try," Charlie said, the doubt gradually   
disappearing from his tone. "Look, why don't you go find   
something we can eat and I'll be in there in a few minutes   
to heat it up for us, all right?"  
  
"You're going to try?" Lois asked.  
  
"If you think I can, I'm willing to give it a shot." His   
teeth flashed whitely in the gloom. "Cross your fingers!"  
  
She laughed suddenly. "Good luck! The bathroom is through   
there." She pointed. "But, you already know that, don't   
you? Try not to set anything on fire."  
  
"I'll do my best," Charlie assured her.  
  
Somehow, she thought that would be enough.  
  
**********  
  
A hunt through her kitchen cupboards was a depressing   
exercise. A few minutes after her conversation with   
Charlie, Lois was surveying her findings in disgust. She   
had never been much of a cook but at the moment she was   
realizing that it was worse than she had thought. There   
were two cans of low fat chicken noodle soup, one of   
vegetable beef soup, three cans of green peas and one of   
pickled beets, although what had motivated her to buy it   
was now an open question. She had also discovered a box of   
stale crackers and a packet of powdered gravy. The pop   
tart box was empty and so was the jar of peanut butter.  
  
Her refrigerator was worse. There was a small dab of   
butter left on the dish in the butter compartment, a box of   
long defunct mushrooms that she had bought with the   
intention of adding to a salad, a couple of withered   
lettuce leaves and a box of Chinese food that had seen   
better days. She tossed it into the trash en masse and   
regarded the ice cubes and a jar of strawberry preserves   
doubtfully. Maybe she could serve it on the crackers, she   
thought.  
  
The sound of a footstep behind her made her turn and for a   
moment she simply stared.  
  
In the time since she had spoken to him, Charlie's   
appearance had made a dramatic change. He was clean-  
shaven, as he had been when she had first met him, but this   
time he was neither naked nor covered with soot. His hair   
was combed neatly and he seemed like a completely different   
man. She had forgotten how he had looked when Jimmy had   
brought him back to the Bullpen after finding him some   
clothing, that first night at the Daily Planet, and he took   
her breath away.  
  
"Wow," she said, after she recovered from her surprise.   
"You sure look different. I like it."  
  
"I hoped you'd approve," he said. "It worked, as you can   
see."  
  
"Yeah." She looked back at the food she had unearthed and   
grimaced. "I'm afraid I wasn't as successful. There isn't   
much here to eat."  
  
Charlie looked over the collection rather thoughtfully. "I   
guess you weren't kidding when you said you needed to go   
shopping, were you? We can have some soup, though. Have   
you got a saucepan?"  
  
Lois produced the required item. Charlie opened the can,   
dumped it into the pan, added water and set it on the   
stove. Lois saw him squint at the contents and a few   
seconds later, the liquid began to steam, gently. She   
turned back to her dish cupboard and found a pair of soup   
bowls.  
  
Dinner wasn't exactly gourmet, but the soup was hot and   
filling. Lois tried not to think what things might be like   
if Nightfall hit. If it did, a can of soup might be as   
hard to find and as valuable as a diamond. It wasn't going   
to happen, she told herself, firmly. If the Asgard rocket   
didn't do the trick, maybe Charlie's memory would be forced   
to return. He wouldn't want to see the whole Earth   
destroyed -- if he could just get past the fear that was   
blocking his memories.  
  
When the pan was empty, Charlie collected the dishes, over   
her feeble protest. He simply grinned and proceeded to   
fill the sink with soapy water. Lois laughed and sat back   
down. "Are you always this determined?"  
  
"My mother raised me to be a gentleman," he said. For a   
moment, neither of them spoke.   
  
"Your *mother*?" Lois said, getting to her feet. "Charlie,   
you said your mother!"  
  
"Yeah," Charlie said.  
  
"Do you remember anything about her?"  
  
Charlie's face was a study of concentration. "I don't   
know. Maybe. I seem to remember a little woman -- blond,   
maybe in her late fifties -- with glasses."  
  
Lois put a hand on his arm. "Charlie, they're there --   
your memories. You're starting to remember!"  
  
He nodded, starting to smile. "It's a little, anyway."  
  
"Do you remember anything else? Your father? Any other   
family?"  
  
His smile faded. "No."  
  
She took his hand, ignoring the water and suds. "It's   
okay. You remembered."  
  
"Maybe," he said. "I still can't remember the most   
important stuff, Lois."  
  
"You will," she said, trying to sound confident. "You   
will, Charlie."  
  
**********   
  
When the dishes had been done, they took the candles into   
the living room and Lois went into her room to find   
blankets and one of the pillows from her bed for Charlie.   
When she returned she looked around, unable for a moment to   
find her companion in the shadowy living room.  
  
"Charlie?"  
  
"Over here." Charlie was standing by the window, looking   
out over Metropolis. Beyond the window, the darkness and   
the silence were almost shocking. On any ordinary night,   
the streets were always lit up and there was an almost   
unnoticed hum of noise. The stars would be invisible and   
even the full moon was hard to see because of the light   
pollution provided by the bustling city. Metropolis never   
really slept. People were always on the streets no matter   
what the hour. Except tonight.  
  
Lois dropped the bedding on the couch and came to join him.   
Neither said anything for long moments. Finally, Charlie   
said, "It's frightening to think how it could all be gone   
by this time tomorrow."  
  
"I know. It hasn't happened yet, though."  
  
"There's the rocket," Charlie said. "If it misses, I'm   
afraid I won't be able to remember in time, Lois. My   
memory seems to be coming back so slowly. I won't be able   
to live with myself if I could have stopped it and was too   
cowardly to take the risk."  
  
"Charlie, it's not cowardice," Lois said. "You want to   
help. The part of your mind doing this to you isn't   
reasonable."  
  
"I don't see the difference," Charlie said. "The whole   
world is a lot more important than my safety."  
  
"Your thinking mind knows that," she said. "The   
subconscious doesn't care. It doesn't reason. It's just   
afraid."  
  
"If that's not cowardice, I don't know what is," Charlie   
said, bitterly. "Everything you've found out or deduced   
about me in the last three days says I'm somebody who can   
probably help. *I* think I can probably help -- and I'm   
too damned scared to do the job! Some instinct in me would   
rather I sacrificed the whole world rather than do whatever   
it is I need to do! If it's possible to hate myself, then   
I do!"  
  
"Don't, Charlie." Lois laid a hand on his arm. "It's not   
your fault. I know you'll help, if you can. You're the   
kind of person who goes out of his way to help people who   
need it. If there's anything I've learned since we met,   
it's that. I didn't think people like you existed."  
  
She could see the black silhouette of his face turned   
toward her in the darkness, and his eyes reflected the dim   
light from the two candles burning on the coffee table.   
"Why not?" he asked, and his voice was soft and puzzled.   
"You *are* that kind of person, Lois. Don't you even   
believe in yourself?"  
  
Unexpectedly, she was aware of a deep sense of shame.   
"Charlie, when I started out to help you, it wasn't really   
for you. It was because I was curious and because it gave   
me something to do rather than think about what was   
probably going to happen in a few days. Don't give me any   
more credit than I deserve."  
  
"I know," he said, completely surprising her. "But it   
didn't stay that way, did it?"  
  
"Well...no." She hadn't thought about it that way. "I   
guess I got personally involved. It's a bad habit I have -  
- always getting involved with my stories. I end up caring   
about the people I'm writing about, and I shouldn't. It's   
not 'maintaining a proper journalistic distance' as one of   
my old college professors would say."  
  
"And that's a bad thing?" Charlie asked. "It just proves   
what I said before. You're the kind of person who goes out   
of her way to help. If there were more people who did   
that, the world would be in better shape." He put his free   
hand over hers. "I think you probably have more courage   
than I do. If you were in my place, I can't see you hiding   
behind a memory loss to avoid doing something that scared   
you. I have the feeling you'd probably charge out, full   
steam ahead, to take it on."  
  
"I think you will, too," she said. "When it comes right   
down to hiding or saving what's important to you, I think   
that something in you will force you to remember because   
you won't be able to face losing the important things. I   
think you value Earth and the people on it too much to let   
it die."  
  
"You have more confidence than I do," Charlie said, but he   
sounded more hopeful. "I only wish I knew...."  
  
"Knew what?"  
  
It was nearly a full minute before he replied and Lois had   
begun to believe that she wasn't going to get an answer.  
  
He had turned to look out the window again and she saw only   
his profile, outlined against the stars. "I wish..." he   
started again, and his voice had dropped until she had to   
strain her ears to hear the words. "I just wish I knew if   
I were married."  
  
**********  
  
Lois's alarm clock didn't wake her up, since the power was   
out. She had gone to bed late and spent a couple of hours   
tossing and turning before accumulated fatigue finally   
overwhelmed her rebellious brain. Even then, her dreams   
were restless, full of pointless action and when she opened   
her eyes, her mind felt dull and numb, the way it always   
did when she hadn't managed to get enough rest.  
  
Charlie had been sitting by the window when she had said   
goodnight, still staring out at the ghostly city. Lois   
crawled reluctantly out of bed and grabbed her robe from   
the back of the chair. It was light outside but the normal   
racket caused by the morning traffic was missing. The   
morning had an unreal quality to it.  
  
There was no sound in the other room. Suddenly   
unreasonably apprehensive that Charlie might have   
disappeared during the night, she hurried to the door of   
her bedroom and looked out.  
  
The blankets were still on the floor and the pillow had the   
imprint of Charlie's head, but at first glance, he was   
nowhere to be seen. Lois stepped out into the living room.   
"Charlie?"  
  
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a flash of   
movement as something dropped from a spot near the ceiling.   
An alarmed yell and a crash brought her completely around.   
Charlie, dressed only in a pair of boxers, was sprawled   
awkwardly on the carpet, looking startled. The tableau   
remained frozen for several seconds, and then he pushed   
himself into a sitting position, an expression of complete   
bewilderment on his features.  
  
Lois remained still for several seconds, unable to speak.   
"What happened?" she asked, finally.   
  
"I'm not sure." His voice sounded as confused as he   
looked. "Did I sleepwalk?"  
  
She glanced involuntarily upward and then around the floor.   
"What fell?"  
  
"Fell?" Charlie also looked around. "I don't see   
anything."  
  
There didn't seem to be anything around except Charlie and   
he certainly couldn't have been sticking to the ceiling,   
she thought. Still, she was sure she had seen something   
fall and she had definitely not imagined the loud thud. It   
had been too large to be a bird or animal -- and what would   
an animal be doing in her apartment, anyway? Still....  
  
"Something fell from the ceiling -- I think," she said,   
"and I don't see anything around but you. Do you have some   
kind of ability to climb walls, too?"  
  
Charlie looked at his hands, the bewildered expression   
deepening. "I don't think so."  
  
"Let me see your hands." The completely irrational   
suspicion that it had been Charlie who had fallen from the   
ceiling wouldn't quite go away. Charlie held his hands out   
to her and she examined them closely. They seemed no   
different than the hands of any ordinary man, although she   
knew they were considerably stronger. She looked up at the   
ceiling again.  
  
Charlie looked up, too. "What are you looking for?"  
  
"I'm not sure. I thought I saw something fall from the   
ceiling and then I heard that crash and you were there.   
You weren't on the ceiling, were you?"  
  
The look he gave her was slightly incredulous. "I don't   
see how. I woke up on the floor. I must have fallen over   
something."  
  
"Yeah...I guess so." She rubbed her eyes. "Maybe I   
imagined it. I was still sleepy."  
  
"I think you must have," he said. "I'd have had to fly.   
Besides, I was asleep."  
  
"Have you ever sleepwalked before?" she asked.  
  
He shrugged. "How would I know? Uh...." He broke off,   
looking down at his nearly unclad form. "I guess we should   
get dressed."  
  
Lois had been trying unsuccessfully not to stare at the   
broad expanse of chest he was displaying. Now, she looked   
away with an effort. "Yeah, I guess so." She glanced   
quickly down at herself. She had worn an old pair of   
flannel pajamas last night, for warmth. The apartment had   
been cold without the services of the building's central   
heating. Last year, the owners of the apartment house had   
replaced the ancient furnace with an electric one and as a   
result, the power outage had left the tenants without means   
to warm their apartments. "I guess I'd better get my   
bath."  
  
The water was also ice cold, as Lois discovered when she   
ran water into the tub, and it remained cold. She might   
have expected it, she thought, but old habits died hard.   
She turned the water off in disgust. "It just figures!"   
she said, aloud.  
  
"Is something wrong?" Charlie's voice called.  
  
"The water's cold! This could be the last hot bath I ever   
have, and the water's cold!"  
  
"Oh." Silence for a minute. "Fill up the tub and I'll   
heat it for you."  
  
That hadn't occurred to her. She turned on the water   
again. "You know, you could be pretty handy to have   
around."  
  
After a deliciously hot bath, Lois picked out clothing   
while Charlie showered. Apparently, the icy water didn't   
bother him, for she heard the shower running and a few   
minutes later, he emerged from the bathroom clean and   
shaven. She looked him over quickly. "Are you ready?"  
  
He nodded. "Have you had a chance to get breakfast?"  
  
"Yeah. I had a few of the crackers. Maybe we can find   
someplace open after we get out of Metropolis."  
  
Charlie made a face. "That doesn't sound very nutritious."  
  
"Well, it's better than nothing," she pointed out. "There   
isn't much else to eat."  
  
"I can heat up the vegetable beef soup," he suggested.  
  
"I'll bring along a couple of mugs and a bottle of water   
and you can heat it up for lunch," Lois suggested.   
"There's no guarantee that we're going to find a place to   
eat. We don't know how far to the west the blackout goes."  
  
"I hadn't thought of that," he said. "Don't forget a can   
opener. Are we going to stop by the Daily Planet first?"  
  
Lois nodded. "Just for a minute. I want to tell Perry   
where we're going."  
  
**********  
  
The streets were completely quiet when they emerged from   
the apartment house. Lois looked up and down the block,   
but the only moving things were the bare branches of trees   
and a few scraps of paper blown by the wind. The sky was a   
brilliant blue, dotted by little scudding clouds.  
  
"It's like a ghost town," she murmured.  
  
Charlie didn't answer. Lois unlocked the door for him and   
he tossed the small bag of provisions into the rear before   
climbing into the passenger seat. The roar of the motor   
was unnaturally loud in the silence as she started the   
engine, put the Jeep in gear and pulled away from the curb.  
  
Charlie glanced sideways at her. "Do you mind if I turn on   
the radio?"  
  
"No, of course not. Go ahead."  
  
Her favorite music station was off the air. Charlie turned   
the dial, searching for a frequency that had something   
other than static to broadcast. LNN must have an emergency   
power generator, Lois thought, a few minutes later when the   
voice of an announcer burst suddenly from the speakers.   
They were coming through loud and clear and were apparently   
in contact with someone at EPRAD for the newscasters were   
giving ten minute updates on the progress of the Asgard   
rocket, although there was still over four hours until it   
was expected to contact Nightfall. As for the power   
situation, a maintenance crew was working on the   
transformer and there was no estimate on when the repairs   
would be finished. Lois made a face at the information.   
It looked as if she and Charlie were going to have to put   
her alternate plan into action after all.  
  
"Charlie, get some of the maps of the area west of here out   
of the glove compartment," she told him, pulling the Jeep   
up to the curb in front of the Planet. "We want to find a   
town outside the blackout area, large enough to have a   
public library where we can get Internet access."  
  
Charlie nodded and reached out to open the glove   
compartment. A cascade of double fudge crunch bars greeted   
him as he pulled the little door open.  
  
"Huh," Lois said, reaching out to snag one. "I forgot   
about those. Have one, if you're hungry. I'll be back in   
a minute."  
  
**********   
  
By the time she returned to the Jeep, Charlie had located a   
map of the country to the west of Metropolis. Several   
towns dotted the route, and they finally decided to simply   
drive west along one of the main highways until they   
reached one where the power was on. Then they would locate   
a public library and go from there. Lois glanced at her   
watch before she shifted into drive. It was ten-thirty; in   
approximately three and a half hours, they would know   
whether or not the Asgard rocket was successful. She was   
aware of a tightness in her gut, reminiscent of her days in   
school just before an important exam. They were getting   
down to the wire. If the rocket missed, the only thing   
left to save human civilization was Charlie -- if, indeed,   
their suppositions were right.  
  
She wasn't wrong about this, she told herself. Somehow,   
Charlie was connected to the fireball and to Nightfall.   
The extraordinary man sitting next to her had come from   
who-knew-where to try to help them. But now, it was a race   
against time to try to retrieve his memory before time ran   
out. After that -- well, they would see what happened, if   
anything remained of the civilization that humanity had so   
painfully built over thousands of years. After his remark   
last night, she was more certain than ever that he was   
interested in her more than just as a friend. If he were   
free... well, was she interested in pursuing a relationship   
with him? He wasn't Claude, or any of the other men in her   
past. Unless his personality changed drastically when he   
regained his memory -- and assuming he had no other prior   
obligations such as a wife -- he could very well be the man   
she'd been looking for all her life and never believed she   
would meet. It wasn't the superhuman abilities, although   
they were astonishing enough. If Claude had possessed   
them, it wouldn't have impressed her in the least because   
Claude had been a miserable excuse for a human being. It   
was simply that Charlie was a man who had integrity, honor   
and kindness. He cared about other people. He might or   
might not be human, but it didn't matter. He was   
everything the men in her past hadn't been.  
  
Of course, once he recovered his memory, he might not be   
interested in her that way, anymore. Even if he wasn't,   
though, she was sure he would remain her friend. She   
trusted him, and she couldn't say that about many people.  
  
Getting onto the main route took much less time than it   
might have on another day because of the lack of traffic.   
Lois saw a total of three cars on the surface streets of   
Metropolis and two of them were police cars. Once, she was   
pulled over by a squad car but when the officer saw her   
press credentials, he let her go with an admonition to be   
careful. On the interstate highway at last, Lois put her   
foot down on the accelerator. It was time to make some   
speed.  
  
**********  
  
"How far west does this dratted blackout go?" Lois   
grumbled, a little under two and a half hours later. "Is   
everything on the same power grid?"  
  
"I guess so," Charlie said. "Sooner or later, we've got to   
reach the end of it, though. I just hope it's not too late   
by the time we do."  
  
"Me, too. I've got just under half a tank of gas left.   
I'm going to have to start back pretty soon."  
  
Charlie didn't say anything more, but Lois noticed the hand   
that lay on the armrest had clenched itself into a fist.  
  
The radio had been counting down the time until impact of   
the Asgard rocket and Lois debated, again, whether to shut   
it off. The suspense was almost unbearable but it would   
probably be just as bad not listening. So far, the rocket   
was reported to be right on course for the mammoth   
asteroid. Maybe, she kept telling herself, maybe   
everything would be all right. Maybe the rocket would blow   
Nightfall into space dust. Then, Charlie's memory would   
very probably come back on its own and the mystery of his   
origin would be solved. She couldn't help praying that   
everything would end on an anticlimax. This was one time   
she didn't want a big story. She only wanted it to be over   
and everything to go back to being like it was before.  
  
"There's another town coming up," Charlie said, suddenly.   
"Willow Rock. The exit is in four miles."  
  
"Cross your fingers," Lois said.   
  
Charlie flashed her a nervous smile.   
  
They took the exit a few moments later and Lois was aware   
of an almost physical shock when the off ramp exited onto a   
road where a red light directed them to stop. The town had   
power!  
  
Charlie was sitting up in the seat, his expression a sharp   
contrast to the worried scowl that he had worn for the past   
hundred or so miles. The light turned green and Lois   
pulled ahead. "Now, to find a library!"  
  
The town of Willow Rock boasted a population of 25,054,   
Lois noted, as they approached the city limits sign. It   
wasn't exactly a booming center of commerce but it was   
surely large enough to have a public library. A moment   
later, they were cruising down the main street of the town.  
  
The atmosphere here was different than it had been in   
Metropolis, she thought. The streets were not deserted,   
for one thing. Although the traffic was still a little   
sparse, there were at least a score of vehicles within view   
and a respectable number of people strolled along the   
sidewalks. Christmas decorations arched across the street   
and the old-fashioned lamp posts were wound with silver   
garlands. Every store window glittered with some kind of   
tribute to the holiday season and a Christmas tree lot was   
open and, if not doing a brisk business, at least several   
people were moving about among the rows of trees, obviously   
concentrating on something besides the incipient end of the   
world.  
  
"There's a gas station," Charlie said, pointing. "It's   
probably got a phone booth."  
  
Lois simply nodded, already signaling to turn. "Look at   
the gas prices, though! Ten dollars a gallon is pretty   
steep!"   
  
"No worse than Jilly's, though," Charlie pointed out.  
  
"True." Lois scowled at the station's sign. "Highway   
robbery. It's a good thing I've still got enough gas to   
get back to Metropolis without a refill. We'd be stranded.   
Maybe by tomorrow, prices will be back to normal."  
  
"Let's hope so," Charlie agreed. "There's a telephone   
booth." He was already unfastening his seat belt as Lois   
pulled into a parking space. "I'll check the phone book."  
  
"Okay." She turned off the motor and set the brake.   
"While you're doing that, I think I'll stretch my legs."  
  
"The restrooms are inside the convenience store," he said,   
opening the door. He waved at the sign. "They sell   
sandwiches, too."  
  
Lois smiled but didn't answer as she stepped out onto the   
pavement. "Back in a minute."  
  
A few minutes later, Lois returned to the Jeep clutching a   
pair of wrapped sandwiches and two bottles of flavored iced   
tea. Charlie was already waiting in the car, listening to   
the radio. LNN was still following the progress of the   
rocket, of course, and the reporter was interviewing an   
amateur astronomer who had been tracking the asteroid   
swarm. Charlie switched off the radio as she opened the   
door.  
  
"The library is in the same building as the County   
Sheriff's Office and City Hall," he said. "It's on Main   
Street. That should make things simpler."  
  
"I hope so," Lois said. "Zero hour for the rocket is in   
just under forty minutes. And four hours after that -- "  
  
"Yeah," Charlie said. "Zero hour for Earth."  
  
In spite of the information, it took them another ten   
minutes to find the building, park the Jeep and locate the   
library, a small section of the not particularly large   
building that housed the Sheriff's station and City Hall.   
Acutely aware of every second as it slipped away, Lois   
pushed the door open, not knowing quite what to expect in a   
small town library, but the place looked much the same as   
any other library she had visited -- simply smaller. A   
single librarian looked up from her desk when they   
approached her station.  
  
"May I help you?"  
  
"I hope so," Lois said. "Do you have Internet access   
here?"  
  
"Certainly," the little woman said, briskly. "We have two   
computers in the computer room. That way." She indicated   
the direction with one finger. "If I can be of help, let   
me know."  
  
They followed her pointing finger and Lois closed her eyes   
in a sigh of relief when she saw the computers. They were   
older models, but both were similar to the ones at the   
Daily Planet. "Thank goodness. At least I know how to run   
these things. I'll take this one, you take the other."  
  
Charlie nodded silently. He glanced upward at the big,   
round wall clock and, involuntarily, Lois followed the   
direction of his gaze. The hands pointed to one thirty-  
five. Maybe the clock was fast, she told herself. Time   
seemed to be running faster and faster as the deadline   
approached. She only hoped that if they found what they   
needed to know, that Charlie had some way of calling his   
ship or whatever he used, or getting to it in time to do   
some good. Nightfall was within the orbit of the moon,   
now. Armageddon was thundering toward them at 30,000 miles   
per hour, and their options were running out as fast as   
their time.  
  
**********  
  
"Lois, I've found their web page," Charlie announced.   
"There's a picture of their city hall and a listing of   
their hotels and so forth."  
  
"Anything useful?" she asked, wearily. A glance at the   
wall clock almost made her heart climb into her throat.   
She looked quickly away. Watching the countdown wasn't   
going to help anything.  
  
"Maybe," he said. "This is the Smallville Chamber of   
Commerce's web page. It says they're a rural community,   
with a population of 17,015 people, according to this, and   
they were founded in 1809 by a Kermit Harris and several   
other families." He was frowning at the page. "They have   
a Corn Festival every fall...and a small wine industry,   
believe it or not. They've got pictures of some of the   
more scenic areas -- apparently they do get tourists who   
like the quiet atmosphere of the town." He looked up from   
the screen. "Lois, I've seen this town hall before. And   
here's a picture of Napier Park. And the Smallville Golf   
Club."  
  
"Smallville has a golf club?" Lois asked, momentarily   
diverted.  
  
"Yeah. And -- " He frowned, rubbing his eyes. "It has a   
newspaper-'The Smallville Press'. There's a picture of it   
here with the staff posing in front of it -- two women:   
Jennifer Douglas and Marian Rogers, and the guy in the   
middle -- Tom Bristol -- is the editor. Or, at least they   
were the staff. This picture is dated two years ago."  
  
Lois craned her neck to look at the computer screen. "Does   
any of it look familiar?"  
  
Charlie rubbed his eyes again. "Yeah. I've seen it   
before. Tom Bristol isn't the editor anymore. He was   
killed in an accident last year."  
  
"Charlie!"  
  
He was staring at her, wide-eyed. "I remembered!"  
  
"Do you remember anything else?"  
  
"Sort of. I think I might have worked there, maybe."  
  
"You're a reporter?" Lois asked.  
  
"I think I might be." He covered his eyes. "I'm not sure   
-- "  
  
Lois was on her feet. "We need to find a phone!"  
  
**********   
  
There was a phone in the hall outside the little library.   
Lois dialed Information and held her breath while the phone   
rang. At least the lines weren't jammed, she thought.   
Perhaps in these last minutes before the Asgard booster   
intercepted Nightfall, people were glued to their   
televisions instead of using the phones. At last the   
operator responded and Lois asked for the number of The   
Smallville Press in Smallville, Kansas. The computerized   
voice came on, gave her the number, which she copied with a   
shaking hand, and offered to connect her. Lois punched in   
the number of her phone card and waited.  
  
"It's ringing!" she whispered, exultantly, although why she   
was whispering never occurred to her.  
  
"Smallville Press, Jennifer speaking. How may I help you?"   
a feminine voice said.  
  
Lois took a deep breath. "Hello?" Her voice tried to   
shake and she managed to steady it. "My name is Lois Lane,   
from the Daily Planet in Metropolis. May I speak to your   
editor, please?"  
  
"Is this a joke?" the woman's voice asked, a little   
suspiciously. "Why would the Daily Planet be calling us?"  
  
"It's not a joke," Lois said, quickly. "I'm trying to   
track down someone. Is your editor available?"  
  
"Mr. Kent is home with the flu," Jennifer's voice told her.  
  
"Well, maybe you can help me," Lois pursued. "We have a   
man here with amnesia, who may come from Smallville. We   
found him under unusual circumstances, three nights ago,   
and he remembers your newspaper. He might have worked   
there at one time."   
  
"Are you kidding?" Jennifer's voice said, sounding very   
skeptical and angry. "Who is this really? Millie if this   
is you, you're in real trouble, girl! I don't have time   
for this nonsense right now. Good bye!"  
  
"No, wait!"  
  
It was too late. Jennifer had hung up.  
  
Lois fished frantically in her purse for the phone card,   
muttering under her breath. Charlie put a hand on her arm.   
  
"Wait a minute, Lois. She's just going to hang up on you   
again. Let's try another angle."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"She said her editor was Mr. Kent. Let's try Information   
again. How many Kents are there likely to be in a town the   
size of Smallville?"  
  
"Who knows? If one of the founding families was a Kent,   
they could be all over the place."  
  
"Well, it can't hurt to try. Unless you can find an online   
phone book of Smallville."  
  
"Jimmy might be able to dig one up," Lois said, "but I must   
not know where to look or something because I wasn't able   
to. I guess we'll give your way a try."  
  
It took four tries to get through to Information again but   
at last, Lois was punching in the numbers of her phone card   
once more. There were three numbers for Kents in town.   
Aubrey Kent was a barber, George Kent, M.D. was a   
podiatrist and the third was Jonathan Kent, no profession   
given. Lois crossed her fingers as the phone began to   
ring.  
  
"Hello?" It was a woman's voice.  
  
"Hello," Lois said. "My name is Lois Lane. May I speak to   
Mr. Kent, please?"  
  
"Just a moment," the voice said. "May I ask why?"  
  
"Is this Mrs. Kent?" Lois asked.  
  
"Yes, it is."  
  
"Mrs. Kent, my name is Lois Lane. I'm a reporter for the   
Daily Planet in Metropolis."  
  
There was a long pause. "I see." The woman's voice had   
become wary. "Why would the Daily Planet be interested in   
my husband? He's just a farmer."  
  
"I'm actually trying to find the Mr. Kent who's the editor   
of The Smallville Press," Lois said. "I need his help.   
Would you know how I could contact him?"  
  
"Our son is the editor of the paper but he has the flu,"   
Mrs. Kent's voice said. "I don't see how he could --"  
  
"Let me explain," Lois said. "This is really a strange   
story, but it's not a joke. Three nights ago, I found a   
man with amnesia in Metropolis, under really strange   
circumstances. He thinks he may live in Smallville and may   
work or have worked for the newspaper at one time. We're   
trying to contact someone who might be able to help us to   
identify him."  
  
There was what sounded like a sharply indrawn breath on the   
other end of the phone. "I might be able to help," Mrs.   
Kent's voice said. The wariness had disappeared and the   
woman's voice sounded as if she was throttling down some   
emotion: excitement, perhaps? "Can you describe this man?"  
  
"Yes, certainly," Lois said. She could see Charlie's face,   
and tell that he was listening, tensely. "He's about six   
feet tall, with an olive complexion, black hair and dark   
brown eyes." She examined Charlie's face, trying to spot   
some sort of identifying characteristic that was unique to   
him. "He's-um -- very good-looking," she continued, "very   
well built, like he works out, and he's got a little   
freckle or birthmark over the right side of his upper lip.   
Do you know anyone who fits that description?"  
  
There was a faint gasp on the other end of the phone.   
"Yes," Mrs. Kent's voice said, sounding a little   
breathless. "I know him. He's been missing for three   
days. May...Is he there? May I speak to him?"  
  
Charlie was holding out his hand. Lois put the receiver   
into it.  
  
"Hello?" Charlie's voice sounded tentative. "Mrs. Kent?"  
  
**********  
  
"Oh, honey, we thought you were dead!"  
  
For Charlie, the sound of the voice on the other end of the   
phone produced a wave of familiarity. "Do you...do you   
know me?" he asked, aware that his voice had begun to   
shake.  
  
There was a short silence. "You don't remember?"  
  
"Not much," he said, honestly. "Your voice sounds   
familiar, but --"  
  
"Honey, I'm your mother." The woman's voice was full of   
concern, mixed with what was unmistakably relief. "You're   
my son, Clark."  
  
"I -- I don't understand. You said your son had the flu --   
or do you have another son?" Charlie asked, feeling more   
and more confused. "Can he do all these strange things,   
too?"  
  
"No, honey. You're the only son we have. We adopted you   
when you were a baby. We had to have an explanation for   
why you didn't come to work for the past three days so we   
told everyone that you had the flu. Do you remember what   
you were doing before you wound up in Metropolis?"  
  
"I -- Lois found me," he found himself saying. "There was   
a fireball and she followed it. She found me in the hole   
it made."  
  
"Are you all right? Are you hurt at all?"  
  
"I don't seem to be," he said, "except that I can't   
remember much."  
  
"Oh, heavens." Her voice paused for an instant and when it   
returned it had become almost businesslike. "Now, listen   
to me, Clark. This is important but you can't tell anyone.   
You went to stop Nightfall. Do you remember anything about   
it?"  
  
Lois had been right, he thought. This woman who said she   
was his mother, and whose voice sounded so familiar, was   
confirming what he and Lois had figured out over the past   
three days. "How was I supposed to stop Nightfall?" he   
whispered. "We -- Lois and I -- thought that might be what   
I --"  
  
"She knows?" his mother's voice said, suddenly concerned.   
"She's a reporter! Clark --"  
  
"It's all right," he interrupted. He could almost   
visualize the face that went with the voice and at once   
understood her concern. "She hasn't told anyone; she   
*isn't* going to tell anyone. She's just trying to help me   
remember. If the rocket doesn't stop the asteroid...."  
  
Lois's hand closed on his wrist. "Someone's coming," she   
whispered.  
  
"Just a minute," he said into the phone.   
  
A door opened farther down the hall and a uniformed woman   
emerged. She hurried past them, barely glancing at the two   
strangers. Charlie looked up, suddenly aware of something.   
Outside a radio was blaring.  
  
"The Asgard rocket has failed. Repeat, a collision with a   
smaller piece of the asteroid swarm has deflected the   
rocket...."  
  
"Listen to me, Clark. This is your father." The suddenly   
male voice on the other end of the phone startled him. "I   
don't know how long this connection will last. The phones   
have been going in and out all day. You have to remember.   
I don't know if you heard what just happened. Another one   
of those rocks out there hit the rocket and deflected it.   
It missed its target. We need you -- everyone needs you to   
remember. You shattered Nightfall three nights ago. That   
was why it broke up."  
  
"*How* did I do it, though?" he asked, aware that his voice   
was perilously close to a wail. "I can do all these   
strange things, but I can't *get* to Nightfall to stop it!   
I don't know how!"  
  
"Clark, you have to understand this and believe me. You   
flew up to it. You used your mother's scuba gear to   
breathe in space. You won't need that now. The asteroid   
is much closer and you can hold your breath for twenty   
minutes at a time. The lack of air pressure doesn't affect   
you. You have to do it, son. You're the last chance Earth   
has."  
  
"But I...."  
  
"Clark!" His mother's voice overlapped his father's.   
"We'll explain everything if we survive to do it. You have   
four hours to figure out how. Honey, if we could get there   
to help you, we would. If you've found out some of the   
things about yourself, trust us, please. One of your   
powers is flight. You can stop this thing."  
  
"But how do I --"  
  
The phone went dead.  
  
**********  
  
"The lines are jammed," Lois said, "I can't even get an   
operator."  
  
"I guess it figures," Charlie said. "The rocket missed, so   
everyone is trying to get hold of their relatives."  
  
Lois hung up the receiver and glanced around at the police   
officers hurrying by in the suddenly crowded hall. "Come   
on. Let's get back to the Jeep where we can talk."  
  
Charlie nodded and, without a word, followed her toward the   
double doors that led to the street.  
  
The sun was still bright when they stepped outside but   
heavy dark clouds had begun to mass in the east. That was   
more appropriate, Lois thought, considering what was   
hanging imminently over their heads. Still, she was just   
as glad not to be in Metropolis right now, if the power was   
still out. A snowstorm wasn't likely to make the situation   
any more bearable.  
  
The residents of Willow Rock were gathered together in   
small groups, she saw, talking quietly, now and then   
glancing up at the sky. A man in the uniform of a   
sheriff's deputy was standing on the sidewalk by a police   
car, talking to another deputy behind the wheel. As they   
watched, three more on motorcycles went by.  
  
"Gearing up for a disaster," Lois said. "Charlie, what did   
Mrs. Kent tell you?"  
  
"She knows me," Charlie said. "And you were right."  
  
"Right about what? Nightfall?"  
  
He nodded. "Wait until we're in the Jeep."  
  
The Cherokee was parked in the lot behind the building.   
When she scrambled into the driver's seat and closed the   
door behind her, she turned and grabbed Charlie by the   
front of the watermelon-colored shirt. "What did she say?"  
  
"She said I'd gone to stop Nightfall." Charlie gently   
removed her hands from his shirt. "It was me who shattered   
it three nights ago. I mean," he corrected, meticulously,   
"it was I."  
  
"Never mind the fine points of grammar," she said. "Did   
she say *how*?"  
  
"Her husband told me that I *flew* up to it. They said one   
of my powers was flight."  
  
Lois's first instinct was to deny it. It was simply too   
impossible.  
  
But, was it? Charlie could set fires with his eyes, he was   
unbelievably strong and fast, his hearing was as acute as   
an animal's. Not to mention, when a man wielding a   
battleaxe had attacked him, the blade had broken on his   
head. Was the ability to fly so much more unbelievable?  
  
Something clicked in her brain. "This morning in the   
apartment. I *knew* I saw something fall. It was *you*!   
You must have been flying in your sleep."  
  
"I guess so," Charlie said. "But how do I fly, Lois? I   
don't know how."  
  
"And how did you shatter the asteroid?" Lois added. "Did   
you blast it with a ray gun or something?"  
  
"I don't think so." Charlie was staring at his hands as if   
he had never seen them before. "Mr. Kent said I flew up   
there to stop Nightfall. I used scuba gear to breathe in   
space. That doesn't sound like I have a bunch of advanced   
technology to work with, does it? I think I must have   
rammed it to make it break up like that. That's probably   
why I couldn't remember anything afterwards."  
  
It was all falling into place, now that the final piece of   
the puzzle was in their hands, Lois thought, even if they   
didn't know exactly where to fit it in. Even the way that   
they had met was suddenly clear. "Charlie, *you* were the   
fireball!"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"The fireball that caused the crater. It was you." She   
put her hand out to rest it on the back of one of his.   
"Charlie, don't you see? You rammed the asteroid and   
shattered it -- and you almost didn't make it back.   
Something like that had to have strained even your powers.   
You must have come in like a meteor, so fast that the heat   
burned off your clothes. That was why I found you in the   
crater: because you made the crater, yourself."  
  
He was nodding. "It makes sense. I tried to destroy   
Nightfall once and it almost killed me. I couldn't   
remember because I was afraid to try it again."  
  
He turned a stricken face toward her. "The problem is, I   
*still* don't know how! I know I'm supposed to be able to   
fly, but I haven't a clue how to do it! How am I supposed   
to relearn how to fly in less than four hours?"  
  
Lois let go of his hand and turned to start the engine.   
"We're going to find someplace around here where you can   
practice. Nightfall is a lot closer than it was three   
nights ago. If you can remember how to get there, it   
shouldn't be as hard, this time. Earth may not be much but   
it's all the human race has. We've got to figure it out."  
  
**********  
  
"Nosy busybodies," Lois was muttering somewhat less than an   
hour later. "You'd think they'd have something better to   
do than ask us what we're doing on top of an apartment   
house. Aren't the police supposed to be concentrating on   
preventing panic or something?"  
  
"I think they're afraid people might try to kill   
themselves," Charlie said. They were walking away from a   
shabby building on the west side of Willow Rock. Behind   
them, two sheriff's deputies stood watching them, a little   
suspiciously. "I'm not sure they bought your story, but   
they didn't have any real proof you were lying."  
  
"That's where press credentials come in handy," Lois said.   
"Come on. Let's go find some place that the police aren't   
patrolling."  
  
"I still don't know how I'm supposed to do this," Charlie   
said. "Do I flap my arms or something?"  
  
The image made her give a snort of laughter in spite of   
herself. "I don't think so. I didn't notice any flapping   
this morning. I came out into the living room and nothing   
was moving. I didn't see you, and I said your name, and   
out of the corner of my eye I saw something --you -- fall   
from the ceiling. You must have been flying -- or floating   
-- in your sleep, I guess, so however you do it, I don't   
think it's anything physical. Maybe it's some kind of   
mental control or something. Kind of like your heat   
vision. It only comes on when you want it to."  
  
He nodded soberly. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense, but I   
sure hope my heat vision doesn't come on in my sleep."  
  
"Well, you're eyes are closed then, so it probably wouldn't   
matter. Maybe it's more like sleepwalking or something,"   
Lois hazarded. "Sleep-flying? Whatever it is, it must be   
pretty easy for you once you get the hang of it, or you   
couldn't do it in your sleep."  
  
"Probably not," he agreed. "So what am I supposed to do --   
think 'fly'? I've been doing that, and nothing seems to   
happen."  
  
"I think that's because you don't really believe it," she   
said, trying to sound positive. "Or, maybe you're even   
blocking yourself unconsciously. How did you make your   
heat vision come on the first time?"  
  
"Well, it was kind of a game," he admitted, half-shrugging.   
"I didn't really think I could do it, so...." His   
expression slowly changed to realization. "So, I wasn't   
holding myself back, was I?"  
  
"I guess not," she said, pleased that he'd come to the   
conclusion, himself.  
  
"So, where do you want to go?"  
  
"Maybe we should go somewhere outside of town," Lois   
suggested. "We don't have much time. You have to have a   
margin of time to get to that monster before it hits us."  
  
"Right. Besides, there are more asteroids in that swarm   
than just Nightfall. Some are big enough to cause damage   
if they hit, even if they're not world-destroying ones. If   
I can figure this out, maybe I can stop some of them, as   
well as Nightfall -- if I have the time."  
  
"Whoa there," Lois said. "Let's concentrate on the flying   
part, first. Then we'll talk about how you'll use it. Do   
me a favor, though."  
  
"Anything." He met her eyes and smiled that charmingly shy   
smile that told her that it wasn't a flippant answer.  
  
"If we do figure this out, don't ram any of the asteroids,   
okay? There must be a safer way to do it than slamming   
into them with your head, as hard as it is."  
  
He made a face and his smile became a little embarrassed.   
Lois said nothing further, satisfied that she'd made her   
point. Inwardly, however, she was elated. Without   
realizing it, Charlie was beginning to think of ways to   
*use* his talent rather than about the danger it could put   
him in. That had to be a step forward. But, they still   
had to figure out how he flew.  
  
"Looks like a storm coming," Charlie said, irrelevantly.   
Lois glanced up. The clouds she had noticed earlier now   
covered half the sky and all at once, there was a flicker   
of lightning. A moment later, thunder growled in the   
distance. The wind was starting to pick up, as well,   
something she had not noticed earlier. A gust of icy air   
hit her in the face as they approached the Cherokee and   
Lois was glad to get inside. She hadn't really noticed   
before, but the weather had gotten considerably colder in   
the last hour.  
  
"Where do you want to go, now?" Charlie asked.  
  
"Let's head for a place a little farther out of town," she   
said, starting the motor. "If you do manage to fly, I   
don't think either of us wants anyone to see you."  
  
Charlie only nodded. She could almost see the wheels   
turning in his head as she glanced back and pulled out of   
the parking space.  
  
"Thanks," he said, suddenly.  
  
"What for?"  
  
"For keeping what I can do a secret. For helping me."  
  
"Hey, I have something I want out of this, too," she said,   
with a slight grin. "I want you to save me from   
Nightfall."  
  
"I think that's pretty reasonable," Charlie said. He   
looked out the window at the clouds that were creeping   
across the blueness of the afternoon sky. "You've done an   
awful lot for me, Lois."  
  
"Yeah, well we're not done yet." She turned down a side   
street. "There."  
  
"What?"  
  
She waved generally at a vacant lot behind a three-story,   
wooden building. "There's nobody around that I can see.   
If we don't draw attention, I think we can use this place."  
  
Charlie was glancing discreetly around. "I don't see   
anyone -- and I don't hear anybody inside, either."  
  
"Perfect," Lois said. "There's a fire escape on the side   
of the building, too. Can you boost me up so I can get the   
ladder?"  
  
Charlie didn't reply. Lois maneuvered into the lot and   
pulled to a stop in a spot where the building itself   
concealed the Cherokee from the view of anyone passing by   
on the street. She cut the engine and glanced at him.   
"Shall we go?"  
  
He opened his door. "You still haven't explained exactly   
why we have to get up high to practice. I can think 'fly'   
just as well from the ground."  
  
"I want you to get used to the feeling of height," Lois   
answered, aware that the explanation sounded lame, even to   
her. One of Charlie's thick eyebrows slid upward in a   
manner so familiar that she almost laughed despite the   
gravity of the situation. "You look just like Spock on   
Star Trek when you do that," she said. "And considering   
that you're probably an alien, besides...."  
  
"But, I don't have the ears," he protested.  
  
She looked at the anatomy in question. "Well, they *are* a   
little pointed, but I agree, you're definitely not a   
Vulcan."  
  
"No question of that," he muttered, running a hand over one   
ear.  
  
"Last I heard, they couldn't fly," Lois said, clinching the   
matter. "Come on. Let's go."  
  
A short time later, they were standing on the roof of the   
narrow, wooden building that housed a small market, a   
hardware store and a bicycle shop.  
  
"Don't get anywhere near the front," Lois said. "I don't   
want the sheriff's guys to come up here after us."  
  
"I won't," Charlie said. He glanced over the low wall that   
ran around the edge of the roof. "Funny how much farther   
away the ground looks than you expect it to."  
  
Lois resolutely didn't look down. "Charlie, we have to   
figure this out," she said, pulling him back to the reason   
for their presence on the roof. "I want you to stand up on   
the wall and think 'fly'. Got that?"  
  
He threw a doubtful glance at her. "You're kidding,   
right?"  
  
"No, I'm not. You *can* fly. You were on the ceiling of   
my apartment this morning. That means it's not hard once   
you get the hang of it." She glanced at her watch. "It's   
after three. The asteroid is going to hit somewhere in the   
Pacific Ocean at about six. Time's running out."  
  
He swallowed and seemed to gather his nerve. "You're   
right." Without another word, he stepped up on the wall.   
Lois could swear his complexion went a shade or two paler   
as he looked down. "All right, now what?"  
  
"Now, you're going to fly," Lois said, determinedly. "Are   
you ready?"  
  
Charlie looked down again. "I'm not sure this is such a   
good idea."  
  
"Don't look down," Lois commanded. "Look up. Ready?"  
  
"I guess."  
  
"Do you want some help?"  
  
He gulped again. "Give me a count, okay?"  
  
"Okay," Lois said. "Here goes...on three. One...two...."   
On two, she gathered her nerve, placed her hands on his   
muscular buttocks and shoved.  
  
Charlie gave a yell of panic as he plunged over the edge,   
and then fell straight down. For a second, Lois felt her   
stomach turn over as he dropped toward the pavement below,   
even knowing that he couldn't be hurt. He struck the   
ground awkwardly face down, lay still a moment and then   
pushed himself up on his hands. Lois was already   
descending the fire escape as fast as she could as he cast   
a startled look up at her.  
  
"Charlie, are you all right?" she called.  
  
"Uh...yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." She could barely hear the   
words as she nearly fell down the ladder toward him. She   
reached the ground in record time, to find him dusting his   
clothing off.  
  
"Charlie, I'm sorry! I thought that if...."  
  
He gave a slightly shaky half-chuckle. "I know what you   
thought. It's okay. We both knew the fall couldn't have   
hurt me. I was just -- well, surprised."  
  
It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but she still   
cringed inwardly at what she had just done. "Didn't you   
even get a hint of how to fly?"  
  
He shrugged. "Not really. I think I was too freaked out   
to think about anything but the ground. I guess we can try   
it again, but if anyone sees us, they're going to think   
we're crazy -- or that you're trying to murder me."  
  
"Forget what anyone else thinks. Nobody knows who you are   
around here, anyway. Are you willing to try it again?"  
  
"Sure. It's sort of like that first step off a high diving   
board. It's easier the second time." He reached for the   
fire escape and put a foot on the second rung, beginning to   
climb. "Let's go." He paused several feet up and glanced   
down at her upturned face. "You're really incredible, did   
you know that? But, you know, in the rush of the moment,   
there was one thing I forgot to ask Mrs. Kent."  
  
Lois gulped. Charlie was taking this pretty well,   
considering the fact that she'd just pushed him off a   
three-story building. "What was it?"  
  
"If I was married."  
  
Still feeling half-guilty about what she had done, Lois   
gave him an exasperated grimace. "Will you stop worrying   
about it? We'll find out later when the danger is over and   
the phone lines clear up! For the record, I hope you're   
not married, too, okay? But, first things first."  
  
His expression changed. "Do you mean that?"  
  
"Well, sure I do! It'd be just my luck to find the guy   
I've been looking for all my life and then find out he   
already had a wife! But if we don't figure out how to do   
this, we're not going to have a chance to --"  
  
Charlie dropped from the fire escape and landed lightly   
beside her. "I'm glad -- because I don't see how I could   
possibly feel like this about any woman who wasn't you."  
  
"Charlie --" Appalled, she felt the tough exterior that   
protected her against other people cracking open and the   
scene before her blurred with tears. "I just pushed you   
off a building!"  
  
"I know." He rested a hand on her cheek. "So what? You   
did what you thought needed to be done. I just wish I had   
your courage."  
  
"My *courage*! Charlie, I'm reckless and headstrong, and I   
do stupid things, and I can't make lasting friendships with   
people...."  
  
"You made one with me."  
  
"I know. This time might have been different. Maybe it   
wouldn't have turned into a disaster. But now --"  
  
How it happened, she didn't know, but suddenly his arms   
were around her and she was burying her face against his   
shoulder. Somehow, here she could almost ignore the fate   
that was bearing down on them, bringing destruction to   
everything the human race had achieved during its   
relatively short run on the planet. What they could have   
had would never be, now. The world as they knew it was   
about to change in a way that no one could imagine.  
  
It wasn't something she consciously decided to do, but she   
found herself lifting her head from his shoulder and almost   
without her own volition, placed a palm on either side of   
his face and kissed him.  
  
The kiss lasted for what seemed like forever and yet,   
oddly, it was over too quickly. His body tensed suddenly;   
the arms that held her tightened for an instant and she   
felt him lift his head. She opened her eyes to see him   
looking intently at her with an expression in his dark eyes   
that seemed composed of both astonishment and discovery.  
  
"Charlie...." she began.  
  
He shook his head and placed a finger across her lips.   
"No," he said. "It's not over yet, Lois." Quickly he   
leaned down and kissed her again. "Go home," he told her.   
"Go back to the Planet. I'll be back; I promise. Just   
remember what I said -- and what you said." He stepped   
away from her and she watched, half-puzzled.  
  
Charlie lifted from the ground and hovered. She felt her   
jaw drop and saw him smile. "I'm not married," he said,   
holding her eyes for another long instant. "And you were   
absolutely right." Then he began to rise, at first slowly   
and then faster and faster, arrowing upward until he had   
dwindled to a tiny speck that disappeared against the   
cloudy sky. Lois stared after him, paralyzed, for a slow   
count of ten. Then she turned and raced for the Jeep.  
  
The LNN countdown was continuing when she turned on the   
radio and maneuvered the Jeep out onto Main Street, heading   
back toward the Interstate. Overhead, the sky was almost a   
uniform slate grey and she could see the branches of the   
trees that lined the thoroughfare tossing in the growing   
breeze.  
  
How long would it take Charlie to reach the Nightfall   
swarm? Grimly, she concentrated on paying attention to the   
traffic as she left Willow Rock and turned back toward   
Metropolis, all the while listening to the countdown   
issuing from the radio. It seemed like forever, but in   
reality barely five minutes had gone by and she was just   
passing the city limits sign when there was a change in the   
monotonous countdown. The announcer's voice faltered. She   
heard a flurry of unidentified sounds in the background and   
a muffled: "What? Are you serious?"  
  
More muffled words that she couldn't quite make out and   
then the announcer's voice, shaking and flustered,   
returned.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, EPRAD Ground Control is reporting --   
ah, hell!" the voice said, suddenly. "We have the tape.   
Let's just play it! Nobody's gonna believe it, otherwise!"  
  
Static filled the cabin for a moment, then another voice,   
crackly with bursts of interference, came over the speaker.  
  
"This is EPRAD Ground Control. We are now two hours and   
thirty-six minutes from the impact of the Nightfall   
Asteroid. Asteroid is on course. We're projecting an   
impact zone approximately two hundred miles northwest of   
Australia...." Static. "Wait a minute...Mission Trackers   
are reporting an anomaly. Switching to backup computers   
for confirmation. Roger...confirmation. This is   
incredible! The asteroid velocity is decreasing...repeat,   
decreasing! The asteroid appears to be changing course!"   
It was apparent that the man at EPRAD Ground Control was   
hovering on the edge of hysteria. "I don't believe it!"   
the voice was babbling. "It's going to miss us by at least   
50,000 miles! Several of the other, larger pieces appear   
to be changing direction as well...."  
  
The tape cut off and the LNN announcer was back, sounding   
only marginally less hysterical than the voice from EPRAD   
Control. "So far we've had no explanation for this   
apparent miracle, ladies and gentlemen, but it's official!   
Nightfall has changed direction at nearly the last minute!   
It's gonna miss us by the skin of our teeth, astronomically   
speaking, but it's going to miss!"  
  
Lois pulled slowly to the side of the road and leaned   
forward to rest her forehead on the steering wheel, paying   
no attention to the cheers and whoops issuing most   
unprofessionally from the radio.  
  
"You did it," she whispered. "After all that, you did it.   
Thank you, Charlie."  
  
**********   
  
It was past sunset by the time Lois drove slowly back into   
Metropolis. The last, faint traces of pink still lit the   
western sky and the city was dark except for the lights in   
the hands of hundreds of men and women now occupying the   
streets and sidewalks.  
  
It was amazing, she thought, looking around at a city that   
had sprung magically to life with the news of Earth's   
reprieve. They were going to have a monumental mess to   
clean up tomorrow, that was for sure, but at the moment,   
nobody cared. The power hadn't come back on yet but people   
were literally dancing in the streets.  
  
She made her way through celebrating mobs toward the Daily   
Planet, aware of fatigue and a deep sense of satisfaction   
that was born of a job well done. There would be a   
tomorrow for Earth after all -- and all of it was due to   
Charlie. She wasn't sure what she was going to tell the   
others about him, except that they had managed to find his   
family and that she had taken him home. She was certain   
that he wouldn't want anyone to know what he had done, but   
it seemed to be a shame that he couldn't be given the   
credit he deserved. She would respect his wishes, however.   
She, above all, could understand his desire not to be   
different from the people around him.  
  
He would be back; he had promised her that and she believed   
him. Unless -- the tiny doubt hit her again -- unless   
something had happened to him in space. She didn't think   
it had. She had been listening to the radio on the way   
back to Metropolis. The deadline had passed a few moments   
ago and so far all that the astronomers had reported was an   
increase in the number of shooting stars lighting up the   
sky. One or two small strikes had been reported over the   
South Pacific, but there had been no real damage. Various   
scientists, contacted by LNN for an explanation of the   
apparent miracle, had rambled on about gravitational   
influences and so forth but the consensus seemed to be that   
no one really knew what had caused it. So Charlie had   
succeeded. The question was, had he come back?  
  
Of course he had, she told herself again. If he had   
managed to survive the first attempt, albeit, just barely,   
he would certainly have survived this one as well but the   
little nagging worry remained. Undoubtedly, there were   
things he would have to do; he'd been missing from   
Smallville for an extended period of time but surely, he   
would let her know that he had survived.  
  
She pulled the Cherokee into the basement lot of the Planet   
and stepped out, stretching her stiff legs. It had been a   
long trip, and the elevators still weren't working, she   
recalled. Hopefully, now that the threat of destruction   
from space had passed, the various crews working on the   
problem would get the power back on soon before the entire   
East Coast froze to death.  
  
The Daily Planet newsroom was in a state of controlled   
chaos when she stepped out of the stairwell. Several   
members of the staff, whom Lois had not seen since the   
first day of the Nightfall crisis, had shown up and Perry   
was barking orders right and left. Her boss spotted her as   
she came in and a smile lit his face.  
  
"Lois! How did things go?"  
  
"Pretty well," she said. "Charlie's memory is back --   
mostly, anyway. Any more word on what happened?"  
  
Perry shook his head. "Not yet. Some wacko out in   
California is trying to say that the only thing that could   
have made the asteroid change direction like that was an   
unseen gravitational source that pulled it off course and   
could destroy the Earth anyway. Somebody else pointed out   
that the other asteroids changed course in different   
directions, so that seems to scuttle that theory. EPRAD   
can't figure it out and is promising further study.   
Spokesmen for various world religions are suggesting it was   
divine intervention...."  
  
"In short, nobody has a clue," Lois said, thinking back to   
her own wild theory of a few days ago. It hadn't been much   
wilder than the real one, though, so she could hardly   
laugh.  
  
"That's about it," Perry agreed. "How are you feeling,   
honey?"  
  
"Tired," Lois said. "Relieved."  
  
"Yeah, me too," Perry admitted. "You stayed when nearly   
everybody else gave up, and helped a guy get his memory   
back. I want a piece about that for the paper when we get   
back up and running."  
  
"Sure," she said, wondering privately what she was going to   
say about it -- "The guy regained his memory and flew up to   
save the world from Nightfall"? Well, she'd think of   
something suitably innocuous without exactly lying. She   
had her journalistic integrity to think about, after all.   
"Any estimate on when the power will be back?"  
  
Perry shrugged. "They keep sayin' any time, but so far, no   
lights."  
  
As he spoke, the lights flickered faintly and then came on.   
In the background, the subtle hum of power resumed.  
  
"We're back!" Jimmy's voice said.  
  
Lois looked around at the familiar newsroom. They were   
back, as Jimmy had said. The world had survived and   
everything could go back to normal. Except for her. She   
had a strong hunch that for her, life would never be quite   
the same again.  
  
It was nearly eight o'clock when she let herself back into   
her little apartment. Everything looked as it had when she   
and Charlie had left it this morning. His blankets were   
folded neatly on the sofa and her fish were swimming around   
in their tank as if nothing had happened. For them, life   
was back to normal, as well.  
  
Lois kicked her door shut, dropped her bag on the floor and   
turned to fasten the numerous locks that adorned her door.   
Tonight, she was going to have to have the sandwiches she   
had picked up at the gas station for dinner and tomorrow,   
she would have to go shopping. And maybe by then, she   
would hear from Charlie....  
  
The apartment, she noticed suddenly, wasn't chilly the way   
it had been when they left. In fact, it had been heated to   
a comfortable temperature. And from the kitchen, a   
delicious aroma was wafting. Her mouth began to water. It   
smelled like....  
  
There was a box sitting on her kitchen table, filled with   
little bamboo containers and one glance inside told her   
that her guess had been correct. It was take-out Chinese,   
superbly prepared and still quite warm. Beside the box was   
a folded piece of paper with her name written neatly in the   
upper corner. Lois snatched it up.  
  
Dear Lois, (she read)  
  
I wanted to let you know as soon as I could that everything   
went fine and to thank you for all the things that you did   
for me, even for shoving me off that building.  
  
I didn't want to be seen around the Daily Planet again for   
reasons that you will understand in a few days. I hoped   
you would be here when I came by, but since you weren't,   
this should tide you over until the stores open tomorrow.   
I brought it from my favorite takeout place in Shanghai.  
  
You were right all along, you know. I couldn't stand to   
lose the important things in my life, and you were the most   
important. I realized that when you kissed me, and I guess   
in the end, that was what made me remember; I know that was   
when it happened, and it makes sense, at least to me. I   
remember everything, now, and I'll explain it all, or at   
least as much as I know, when I see you again.  
  
I'll be busy for the next couple of days, tying up some   
loose ends, but I'll be seeing you very soon. I meant what   
I said back in Willow Rock. I hope you did, too.  
  
Love,  
  
Charlie  
  
P.S. And I'm not married.  
  
He had underlined the word "not" three times. Lois gave a   
soft laugh and sat down to eat her dinner. She'd been   
right. Life was unlikely to ever be quite the same for   
her. She was looking forward to it.  
  
**********  
  
Epilogue  
  
It was amazing how quickly things had gone back to normal,   
Lois thought, walking into work two days later. There were   
still a few broken windows along the street and debris   
scattered around but the repair and cleanup crews were busy   
and people were once more going to work and living their   
lives as if nothing had ever interrupted them.  
  
She had had no further direct word from Charlie, but now   
that she knew what to look for, she had seen traces of him   
in reports that came in from all over the world. Damage   
from the four days while the world waited for destruction   
mysteriously repaired itself overnight; the lava flow from   
Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippine Islands that had been   
threatening a village inexplicably changed course without   
warning. To her, those and a hundred other incidents as   
well all said "Charlie". He hadn't been kidding when he   
said he had a few loose ends to tie up, she thought.  
  
But she was sure, as well, that he intended to keep his   
promise to her. The only question was, when.  
  
Perry was in his office, she saw when she stepped off the   
elevator, and she could see someone sitting in one of the   
other chairs, facing him. Perry was speaking, then, as she   
watched, the other man rose to his feet. Perry thrust out   
a hand and the other man took it, nodding.  
  
A job interview, Lois thought. Perry had been looking for   
someone to help cover the city beat for a couple of weeks   
but so far he hadn't found the right person. She wondered   
if this guy had been given a polite brush off the way he'd   
given it to the five other persons who had previously   
interviewed for the position.  
  
She continued on to her desk, dropped her purse beside it   
and reached out to boot her computer up for the day's work.   
She looked up, mildly curious, when the door to the   
editor's office opened and the two men emerged. The   
stranger was tall and dark-haired, wearing a pair of horn-  
rimmed glasses. Lois noted with approval the broad   
shoulders that filled out the sports jacket and grimaced   
mentally at the brilliant tie.  
  
Perry glanced around. "Jimmy!"  
  
The office gofer bounced across the room in answer to the   
boss's summons and Lois pricked up her ears. It looked as   
if this guy had been lucky and Perry's next words confirmed   
it.  
  
"Jimmy, this is Clark Kent. He's the new guy on the city   
beat. Take him down to Personnel so he can get started on   
the paperwork."  
  
Kent? The name made her sit bolt upright. She looked   
quickly at the new hire, really seeing him for the first   
time and saw that Clark Kent was looking straight across   
the office at her, smiling.  
  
He really did look different, she thought, and the image of   
the melted glasses she had found in the crater popped into   
her mind. He hadn't been kidding when he said that he'd be   
seeing her in a couple of days. No wonder he'd told her he   
hadn't wanted to be seen at the Planet without the heavy   
growth of beard. Someone might have recognized Charlie   
when he applied for work there.  
  
She found herself smiling back at him, and watched him as   
he followed Jimmy across the newsroom toward the elevator.  
  
Clark Kent, huh? No wonder the editor of the Smallville   
Press hadn't been at the office when they called.  
  
Well, he'd said he would explain as much as he knew. She   
would hold him to that, she thought. She had a lot of   
questions to ask him. It looked as if life at the Daily   
Planet was about to become very, very interesting.  
  
The phone rang as the elevator doors closed behind the two   
men and she reached out to pick up the receiver.  
  
"Lois Lane."  
  
"Hello, Ms. Lane." The voice at the other end of the line   
was cheerful and masculine. "My name is Dr. Vincent   
Winninger...."  
  
The End 


End file.
